


Digimon Frontier: Spirits of Evolution

by mpuppy4



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Frontier
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Canon Crossover, Gen, Minor shipping, Multi, Original Spirits, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Ships are only implied and nobody ever actually gets together, Uses a combination of English and Japanese terminology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-24 19:03:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7519649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mpuppy4/pseuds/mpuppy4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Digital Gate has closed without warning, much to the Digidestineds' displeasure. When it finally reopens, however, Davis, TK, Yolei, Ken, Cody, and Kari arrive to find things a little different than they left it. Things escalate when Davis is approached by an entity calling itself the "Spirit of Sea",  who grants Davis the power of Digivolution. Now it's up to the Digidestined, alongside Gatomon and Patamon, to find out what's threatening the Digital World and take it down. And this time, as they explore this frontier, they've got a new power on their side.</p><p>02 AU</p><p>This story is also on FanFiction.net, Wattpad.com, and Quotev.com under the same name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prelude

Many centuries ago, the Digital World was divided into six Kingdoms: Forest, Mountain, Desert, Sky, City, and Sea. These six Kingdoms were ruled by a single Emperor, known as Fanglongmon.

For a long time, Fanglongmon's empire was peaceful. But then, without warning, his power was challenged.

The Digital World was threatened by a powerful army, lead by seven incredible Mega level Digimon. This army called themselves The Almighty Armada, and their goal was to claim Fanglongmon's empire as their own.

The Legendary Warriors, a team of ten Digimon each with two forms, attempted to combat the Armada. However, their attempts were futile. They were far outnumbered, and even farther outpowered. They stood no chance against the evil Digimon.

Fearing for the safety of his Empire, Fanglongmon reached out across his six kingdoms, searching for anyone- scientists, mages, trainers -who could create creatures strong enough to combat the armada. Much to his relief, this was successful. He was eventually sent six Digimon, created for the soul purpose of defeating The Almighty Armada. Fanglongmon declared these Digimon to be The Legendary Defenders.

The Defenders seemed fit to take down The Almighty Armada. They had the strength and ability to wipe out entire armies. However, when it came down to it, there was one supposedly minor issue that tore the whole plan apart.

The Legendary Defenders were programmed to be fighting machines. They were incapable of strategy or working as a unit. The Armada found this hole in their defenses, and used it to destroy the Guardians.

Left without any other options, Fanglongmon turned to a last resort. He chose one Digimon from each Kingdom with the potential that the Defenders lacked, and bestowed them with the Spirits and power of the Legendary Defenders.

Miraculously, these Digimon were able to pull through. They defeated the Armada and sealed its leaders in a weakened stasis, in hopes that they could be kept this way for eternity.

When all was said and done, Fanglongmon thanked his warriors for their heroics doings. However, they could not hold on to the Spirits of The Legendary Defenders forever. The Spirits left their carriers, and traveled to places to this day left unknown.

The heroes were disappointed to have lost what they had come to find was an essential part of their being. However, they knew there was nothing that could be done. They said their goodbyes to one another, and made a promise that even without their Spirits, they could still find strength and heroism in their own kingdoms.

Centuries passed and the Digital World changed, faced with many evils that would be taken down by new heroes. It wasn't for a long time that it would be reminded of the army that once plagued Fanglongmon's empire, and even longer for the Spirits of The Legendary Defenders to find new carriers, in the form of several human children whom had already proven themselves worthy saviors of the Digital plain...


	2. An Average Group of Not So Average Kids

Daisuke Motomiya was a perfectly average goggle-wearing middle schooler in perfectly average Odaiba, Japan. In broad afternoon, he was kicking around a soccer ball on the field outside of his school. He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his five friends, who, along with Daisuke himself, were members of a not-so-average group of heroes known as the "Digidestined".

Daisuke kicked the ball straight into the goal. He grinned to himself and ran over to the net.

"Nice shot, Davis," he heard from behind him. Davis took the ball in his hands and turned to see who had addressed him. It was a boy about his age, blonde-haired and boasting a beige bucket hat on his head. "...but you're still not as good as Tai."

Davis snorted. "You're early, TJ," he declared, setting the ball back down and kicking it upwards onto his knee.

"It's TK, actually," TK replied calmly, walking over to sit on the bench at the side of the soccer field, "and I'm no earlier than you."

"Touche." Davis kicked the ball onto his head, where it balanced for a moment before falling, and taking Davis with it. TK burst out laughing.

"Oh, so close!" Davis grumbled and sat up, to find the girl who had just spoken, with long lavender hair and round glasses. "Don't worry, Davis," she teased. "You'll get it next time."

Davis clenched his teeth. "Shut up, Yolei," he growled.

"Give him a chance, Yolei," came another voice, which caused Davis's face to light up. There was a shorter girl standing beside Yolei, with short-cut brown hair and a yellow bandanna wrapped around her neck. "You can't get something right unless you practice."

"Yeah, but Davis has been practicing his whole life," Yolei retorted.

"That doesn't mean he'll never get it."

Davis stood up and approached the girls. "Wow, Kari," he said in a loud manner that seemed more directed at Yolei than Kari, "thanks for being so supportive!" Yolei rolled her eyes.

Kari just smiled innocently. "No problem."

Davis watched with narrowed eyes as Kari sat down beside TK. "So when do you think Cody and Ken are gonna get here?" inquired Yolei abruptly, shaking Davis from his trance.

"That's 'if' for Ken," TK said, "not when. Remember, this is the first time we've invited him to a meeting. We have no idea if he's coming or not."

"The meeting time technically isn't for another five minutes..." Kari noted. "Let's think positive."

"Well, I'm positive that Ken will come," Davis announced. "I mean, why wouldn't he?"

TK's expression flattened. "Well for one thing, I punched him in the face," he said. "And for another, he's probably self-conscious about us hating him."

"TK," Kari scolded.

TK shrugged defensively. "I'm just saying."

"And he has a point," Yolei added. "Ken still isn't completely comfortable with hanging out with us, so who's to say he'd even want to come? Not to mention the abundance of first world problems that could prevent him from coming..."

"What happened to 'positive'...?" Kari sighed.

Davis snorted. "I say he's coming," he asserted. "After everything we've been through, how could he turn down our hospitality?"

"I think Motomiya raises an excellent standpoint."

The gathered Digidestined directed their attention to the left, from where they saw another boy approaching, with shoulder-length purple hair, wearing a sweater and scarf.

"Ken!" Davis exclaimed, dashing over to greet the new arrival. "You came!"

Ken smiled faintly. "You had any doubts?" he questioned.

Davis quickly swung his head away nervously. "Pfft, what? No!"

"It's okay," Ken said quietly. "I'd be surprised if you did expect me to show up."

"Well, we're happy to have you," Kari assured him.

"So that just leaves Cody," said Yolei in a cheerful tone. "What's taking him? He's usually one of the first to show."

"He also usually comes with you," TK noted.

Yolei scratched her head. "Yeah, I don't know why he didn't stop by my house like he normally does... You don't think something happened, do you?"

TK and Kari exchanged glances, while Davis stroked his chin. Before anybody could answer, however, they were interrupted.

"Yolei! Davis! Guys!"

From the right this time, stormed up a short boy with brown bowl-cut hair. He looked like he had just run the hundred yard dash.

"Hey, there's Cody!" Davis called.

"What's the matter?" Yolei inquired.

Cody paused to catch his breath, before bolting upright, and explaining shortly, "I just saw Izzy. He told me to tell you-"

His explanation was cut off by coughing fit, during which TK and Kari both stood from the bench in heightened attention. "Spit it out!" Davis exclaimed. "What happened?"

"The Digital Gate," Cody forced himself to say. "It's reopened!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you reading this, hi! My name is mpuppy4, you can shorten that however you will. I want to thank you for reading my story. It's one of the first fanfictions I've ever properly written, and it's been through a couple of drafts. I'm pretty confident about this one though.  
> I'd like to clarify a few things, the first being that this story takes place in an AU. There are a few changes between the canon of this story and the canon of 02 proper, which will be made clear later in the story. I'd also like to say that the Archive Warnings are likely going to change as this story progresses, so be aware of that. Lastly I'd like to day that there IS some shipping in this story, but it's far from the main focus. It's mostly just ship teasing, but be warned that there's a lot of it.  
> That said, thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoy the show! Please leave your feedback and criticism below! Oh, and if there are any other writing websites you prefer over this one, chances are the story is also uploaded there. I recommend either Wattpad or Quotev for those of you who don't like author's notes.


	3. Storm of Arashimon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the DigiPort now open once again, Davis and company travel back to the Digital World, only to be surprised by what they find there. They realize quickly that this journey won't be an easy one, nor the same as the one they last had. But when Davis discovers a new power to light their way, one thing's for certain: this is going to be one crazy ride for all of them.

It was a perfectly peaceful and over all average day in the Digital World. The sun was shining brightly over the forest, where insects scuttled and animals played. Tucked away in a hollow surrounded by trees, there sat a computer monitor. On top of this monitor, Gatomon was curled up, her tail swishing side to side as she purred in her sleep. A whistle hung limp around her neck, alongside a pink bandanna to support it.

The faint sound of flapping wings echoed around the woods as Patamon, sporting a pink haramaki around his stomach, fluttered down and perched himself beside the cat. He took one of his little black paws and used it to shake his friend's sleeping body. "Hey, Gatomon," he said, "it's time for us to switch places. Wake up."

Gatomon grumbled and flicked her tail at Patamon. "Five more minutes..."

Patamon's expression flattened. "You can't guard anything when you're asleep. Get up!"

Gatomon opened one eye to cast a backwards glare at her companion. She swatted Patamon's paw, causing him to stumble. "What, haven't you ever heard of a cat nap?" she growled playfully.

Patamon snorted. "Yeah, but you can have yours somewhere else!" He attempted to forcefully push Gatomon off of the monitor. This failed, of course. Gatomon snickered as Patamon panted from his struggles, then she lifted her tail and used it to tickle the winged Digimon's nose. "Aw, what's the matter?" she taunted. "Is the widdle kitty too much for widdle Patamon?"

Patamon puffed out his chest and held his breath momentarily. However, the tail fluff tickling his nose became overwhelming. He smiled faintly and suppressed a chuckle, before letting out an enormous sneeze that sent both Digimon toppling off of the monitor.

Gatomon sat up and shook out her coat, then looked down at Patamon. "Good job," she said flatly.

"Oh, yeah," Patamon rolled over so to meet her gaze, "that was definitely my fault, and not, y'know, yours."

They met each other's gazes for a moment, then smiled, and burst out laughing. They hopped back up on top of the monitor and gazed up at the high noon sky, the sunlight filtering through the tree branches. Aside from the typical sounds of digital nature, it was eerily silent.

"It's quiet," Gatomon noted.

Patamon nodded. "Too quiet," he added.

Both Digimon lowered their heads solemnly. After a moment's hesitation, Patamon asked, "Do you think they're ever coming back?"

Gatomon's ears immediately perked. "Of course they're coming back!" she exclaimed. "It's not like they left voluntarily." Patamon let out a wistful sigh, causing Gatomon to fold her arms. "Patamon, they've hardly been gone. You were talking like this the last time the Gate closed, too. And that time you didn't start complaining for months!"

"Well at least that time we knew how long they were gonna be gone!" Patamon moped.

Gatomon rolled her eyes. "Patamon, why have we been watching this monitor?" she inquired.

Patamon blinked. "Um... to make sure we're here if the DigiDestined come back?"

"Mm hm!" Gatomon nodded pointedly. "And would we be watching this monitor if we didn't think they were coming back?"

Patamon tilted his head. "Well, probably not..."

"Purr-fect answer!" Gatomon praised. "So, we're staying here. End of story."

Patamon smiled weakly. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he replied.

"Of course I am," said Gatomon. "And who knows? They could show up at anytime. Heck, this monitor could light up any minute now and our partners would come out and fall flat on their faces."

Patamon giggled. "Yeah, like they do every time."

A couple seconds passed. Then a beeping noise caused Patamon and Gatomon to lift their ears.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gatomon whispered.

"It has to be!" Patamon gasped.

And all of a sudden, light erupted from the computer monitor they were sitting atop, causing them to shield their eyes. This light then took the form of six human children, who then toppled clumsily into a pile before the Digimon.

Patamon and Gatomon's faces lit up as the humans groggily stood up and scolded each other for falling on top of one another.

"TK!" "Kari!" Patamon and Gatomon exclaimed, respectively.

They leaped off of the monitor and into the arms of their partners, who looked just as ecstatic as they did.

Davis stood up and stretched, then looked out at the vast forest stretching before him. "Hello, Digital World!" he shouted to no-one in particular. "The DigiDestined are back!"

"Can it, Davis," said Yolei, smacking the goggle-wearing boy on his upper back. "You're disturbing the peace."

"You're one to talk," Davis snorted, gently rubbing the spot she had hit.

"We missed you!" Patamon cried, burying his face in TK's jacket.

TK ruffled the fur on his partner's head affectionately. "We missed you too, buddy," he replied.

"You should have heard Patamon!" Gatomon exclaimed to Kari. "He was crying like a baby!"

"What?!" Patamon exclaimed. "I was not!"

"Yeah you were!" Gatomon retorted. "I should've recorded the conversation we just had so you could listen to how pathetic you sounded!"

"Gatomon..." Kari sighed, though a note of relief to see her partner again lingered in her voice.

"It's good to be back," said Cody, pacing to stand beside Yolei, who turned to him and nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever been so happy to be in the wilderness!" she concurred.

Ken smiled contently as he watched Gatomon and Patamon affectionately nuzzle their partners. However, in witnessing this scene, something occurred to him that made his smile disolve.

"Where are _our_ partners?" he asked, causing everyone to turn their attention towards him.

"Oh, yeah!" Davis dashed to Ken's side, saying, "Veemon and the others aren't here!"

"Where's Armadillomon?" Cody inquired cautiously.

"And Hawkmon?" Yolei added with folded arms.

"And Wormmon?" Ken added with a note of urgency.

A moment of silence passed, in which Patamon and Gatomon exchanged nervous glances. They slipped from TK and Kari's grasps in order to give a more dignified response.

"We, uh..." Patamon began, glancing sideways.

"...don't..." Gatomon continued, holding a claw up to her mouth.

"...know?" they finished, each giving a heavy shrug and an anxious grin.

The Digidestined looked taken aback. "What do you mean you don't know?!" Davis exclaimed, clenching his fists and stomping a foot. "What happened to Veemon?!"

"Nothing happened to Veemon!" Gatomon countered. "Veemon left on his own!"

"What do you mean he left on his own?!"

Ken made haste in setting his hand on Davis's shoulder, in an attempt to calm him, which appeared to work, if only slightly. "Motomiya," he pleaded, "give them a chance to explain."

Davis snorted, then swung back around to Gatomon. "Alright," he grumbled, "start explaining."

Gatomon held her chin up to meet Davis's gaze. "After the DigiPort closed," she described, "Veemon decided that he didn't want to wait around for it to reopen. So he said he was going to go out to find the person who closed it." Her ear twitching, she added, "We tried to tell him it was stupid, but he left anyway, and Wormmon went with him."

"Hawkmon and Armadillomon left to go and find them later," Patamon contributed.

"But Patamon and I decided to stay and watch this monitor in case you came back. Which you did," Gatomon concluded.

The humans eased a little. "Well, that sounds like something Veemon would do," said Cody.

"When exactly did they leave?" Kari inquired mildly.

"Veemon and Wormmon left almost immediately after you did," Gatomon replied.

"I don't remember when Hawkmon left," said Patamon, "but Armadillomon only left a few days ago."

"Well, wherever they are," Yolei declared pointedly, "we have to go and find them."

"Right," Cody agreed. "They're our partners."

"Not to mention that we can't fight anything without them," Yolei continued.

Davis stood up straight, taking a commanding position. "So it's settled, then!" he shouted. "Digidestined, Operation: 'Rescue Mission' is a go!"

"Let's hope it's not a rescue mission..." muttered Ken.

TK stood up, allowing Patamon to perch on his shoulder. "So Davis," he challenged, "how exactly do we plan on finding them when we don't have any leads?"

"Ech-" Davis stumbled, his spirits plummeting. "I hadn't thought of that."

TK rolled his eyes. "Armadillomon can't have gotten too far," he said. "If we're lucky, we might be able to catch up with him today." He turned to address Patamon, and Gatomon, who was standing close to Kari. "Do you two have any idea where he might have gone?"

"Armadillomon left that way." Patamon indicated the direction that the monitor was facing.

"Then that's the way we're going," said TK.

Yolei pumped her fist in the air. "Alright, then let's do this!" she cried. Reaching for her D-Terminal, she continued, "I'll tell Izzy that we're gonna be here a while."

Cody nodded curtly. "Right, there's no time to waste."

"We only got back a few minutes ago, and we're already back to work." TK chuckled. "We really can't catch a break, can we?"

As they started forward, Davis was hanging behind. He looked as if something were grinding his gears. "Well," he said, "what kind of a lead is that?! We know what direction he went in, but what about after that?!"

"Then we'll ask if anybody's seen him," TK replied.

"But what if we can't find anybody?!"

"Then we'll try to find any clue to where he might have gone," TK answered. "Paw prints, leftovers, that sort of thing."

Yolei chimed in, "If you have a better idea, we'd love to hear it, Davis."

Davis held his index finger in the air for a moment, then set his hand behind his head. "Uh..."

Yolei lowered her eyebrows condescendingly. "That's what I thought. Come on, gang. We don't have time for this."

While Davis cursed himself for not being able to invent a solution to his predicament, Ken and Cody exchanged glances, possibly wondering if their declared leader deserved their sympathy.

"I think Davis should lead the way," Kari said suddenly.

Everyone looked at her questioningly, Yolei in particular. "Seriously?" the brash girl questioned.

 _"Seriously?"_ Gatomon echoed, looking up at her partner.

"I don't see why not," Kari replied simply. "After all, it's his partner who's missing, not TK's." TK shrugged at this. "And besides..." Kari gave Davis a kindhearted smile. "...he's the one wearing the goggles."

Davis paused for a moment, glancing back and forth awkwardly as if he weren't entirely sure Kari was really talking about him. Then, realizing how stupid he probably looked, he straightened himself and adjusted his goggles proudly. "Well, if Kari thinks I should lead the way," he said loudly, "then I guess I'll just have to make that sacrifice for her."

Davis wasn't fooling anybody, though Kari and Ken both seemed to think his little ruse was humorous.

Yolei sighed and blew away a stray hair that was hanging in front of her eyes. "Alright then," she smacked Davis on the back as he passed her, causing him to yelp, "lead the way, lover boy."

"Ow! The same spot again, really?!"

This was enough to make everyone in the group burst out laughing. Except for Davis, of course.

* * *

As they wandered blindly through the forest, a Digimon was hovering loudly about overhead. Ken watched it through the tree branches with confusion flickering in his eyes. "Is that," he questioned, "a Mekanorimon?"

Davis followed Ken's gaze curiously to the airborne Digimon. "Looks like," he replied.

Ken scratched his head. "But... Mekanorimon don't have a habitat anywhere near this area. What's it doing here?"

Davis shrugged. "It probably just got lost, or something." He turned around and continued ahead. "I wouldn't worry about it."

Ken didn't look so sure. "If you think so, Motomiya..." he replied, regardless.

While they conversed, Yolei was poking around on her D-Terminal. She was expressing frustration, so loudly in fact, that it caught Ken's attention. "Um, if you don't mind me asking," he spoke, "what are you doing?"

Yolei grumbled and shut her D-Terminal forcefully. "Nothing," she sighed. "Just wondering why Izzy hasn't written back yet."

"He probably just got caught up in something else," said TK. "I'm sure he'll get back to you as soon as he sees it."

"You're probably right." Yolei laughed a bit to herself as she tucked her D-Terminal away. "I just get upset over the smallest things."

Davis glanced back at her with his eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, that's a thing you should probably stop," he suggested bitterly.

"Oh, as if you're any better than me!"

Gatomon's whiskers twitched with humor as she watched them bicker. "You humans are so emotional," she meowed. "Honestly, Patamon and I would never argue over something so trivial."

Kari glanced down at her partner. "Then what was that argument you two had when we showed up?" she challenged.

Gatomon's ears flattened, her muzzle flushing slightly. "Sh-Shut up. That was different."

Cody, on the other hand, had more pressing matters on his mind. "I hope Armadillomon hasn't gotten too far..." he said, mostly to himself. "I don't know what I'll do if anything happened to him."

"I'm sure he's fine, Cody," Ken reassured the smaller Digidestined. "I'm sure they're _all_ fine. We just have to find them."

Davis grinned. "Yeah, listen to Ken!" he exclaimed. "He's got the right idea! Besides, what could have possibly happened to them? There's no evil dudes around, after all."

Patamon, who was sitting on top of TK's head, suddenly perked. "I think the forest is thinning up ahead," he squeaked.

"Finally!" Davis cried. "I don't know how much longer I can stand this stuffy jungle."

Without warning or consent, he shot forward ahead of the rest of the group. "Davis!" Yolei roared in exasperation, taking after him.

"Here we go again," Cody sighed, following his friends, and being tailed closely by TK, Kari and Ken.

As soon as Davis broke through the overgrowth, he was met with powerful, refreshing sunlight. His relief, however, was short lived, as he took a good look at the landscape stretching before him. As the others caught up to him, they each stopped short too. What they were seeing was definitely not something they had been expecting.

Before them, the earth was was crumbling, ripped apart by who knows what force. Pieces of ground were unnaturally held aloft in the air, separated from land that it should have been connected to. Beyond this were other islands, pieces of grassland and jungle which, the last time the Digidestined had checked, should have been on the other side of the Digital World. It looked as if some enormous creature had reached down and crudely rearranged the world with its own two hands.

The Digidestined stood with mouths gaping for several moments, before Davis said, "Okay... I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" The others shook their heads silently. "Oh, okay... I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

"Patamon, Gatomon," said TK, his gaze still resting on the mayhem just a few yards away, "did you know about this?"

"We haven't set foot out of the forest," Patamon replied, his eyes wide with terror.

"There have been tremors," Gatomon gasped, "but I didn't think..."

Suddenly, they were distracted by a dinging sound ringing from Yolei's pocket. She immediately reached for and pulled out her D-Terminal, flipping it open hastily.

"Is it Izzy?" Ken asked.

"Yeah." Yolei's eyes skimmed over the message she'd been sent, before widening in horror. "Oh my god..."

"What?!" Davis cried. "What did he say?!"

"We have to go back," said Yolei vaguely, shutting her D-Terminal and sliding it back into her pocket.

"Why?" Kari asked.

"What's going on?!" Davis demanded.

Yolei scowled. "Do you see this?" she growled rhetorically, indicating the destruction just in front of them. "Izzy just told me that the _entire Digital World_ is like this. And what's more, that monitor we just came from is the _only_ working monitor he could locate." There was a crippling sense of tension in the air. "This is too much for us to handle right now. We _need_ to go back."

Davis clenched his teeth. "But we can't go back now!" he cried. "Not without our partners!"

"I don't think we have much of a choice," said Cody dejectedly.

Davis looked bewildered that there was even an argument to be had here. "So, what, we're giving up?!" he exclaimed. "We can't give up, we're Digidestined! And Digidestined don't give up!"

"We're _not_ giving up, Davis," TK rebutted, "we're regrouping. We need to talk to the older kids before we can decide what to do."

"TK is right," Kari concurred, completely and utterly obliterating any hope Davis had had of winning this argument. "We can't just rush into this blindly with only two Digimon."

"Especially not when we don't have any idea what we're up against," Ken added.

Seeing that he was completely outnumbered, Davis sighed. "Alright, fine," he said, "we'll go back." Determination in full swing, he added, "But we _are_ coming back!"

The team nodded briskly. No matter what, the Digidestined weren't quitters.

They were soon distracted, however, by a familiar mechanical sound overhead. They shifted their gazes upward only to find that the Mekanorimon Ken had spotted earlier was now descending, disconcertingly close to the group at that. It landed on the ground without much of an issue, then directed its attention towards the humans. Things were unnervingly silent for a few moments.

"Maybe it's friendly...?" Davis whispered hopefully.

Hearing Davis speak, the Mekanorimon tilted its head slightly. At this point the Digidestined were holding their breath, hoping that the Digimon would shrug off their presence and hover away.

This hope was naive, of course. The mechanical Digimon blinked its one visible eye tentatively, before holding out its big steel hands threateningly. And then, it opened fire.

"Twin Beam!" it buzzed, releasing a frightening pair of lasers from its hands.

Davis sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think so. **Run for it!** "

"Back to the monitor!" TK called, as the Digidestined and their two companions shot back into the forest to escape the oncoming fire.

Its gaze following the humans, the Mekanorimon took flight again, soaring after them. However, it momentarily lost track of them as they took cover in the bracken.

"Patamon, Gatomon," said TK, pulling out his Digivice, "can you Digivolve?"

Gatomon's ears flattened. "Uh, funny story..." she responded, "we haven't eaten, in like, two days."

The Digidestined fell over.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Yolei cried.

Gatomon shrugged nervously. "Slipped our minds...?"

"There were kind of more important things going on," added Patamon.

TK gave a disgruntled sigh. "Great, so now what?"

Davis blinked, as something occurred to him. Surprised that he of all people was the one realizing this, he asked, "Gatomon is a Champion, isn't she?"

Eyes turned to him. "Yeah, I am," Gatomon replied, flicking her tail, which proudly adorned a small Holy Ring.

Davis clenched his fist. "So, go kick that thing in the head or something!" he demanded. "Show it who's boss!"

"Oh!" Gatomon's ears perked, and she nodded determinedly. "Okay! I'll do my best."

"Be careful, Gatomon!" Kari called, as the small cat dashed out to confront their pursuer.

The humans and Patamon watched from a safe distance as Gatomon exclaimed, "Hey, metalhead!" and the big robot turned its attention towards her. "Get a load of this!" Gatomon bounded up, and shouted, "Lightning Kick!" before landing a nasty looking blow on the Mekanorimon's cockpit, knocking it clear across the woods. She landed gracefully, dusting off her gloves.

"Alright Gatomon!" Davis exclaimed, leaving the safety of the bracken to congratulate her.

"I gotta say," Yolei admitted, "I don't think he'll be bothering us again anytime soon."

Davis nodded, still proud of his idea. "Yeah! I don't think we've got anything to worry about as long as Gatomon's around." The Digimon held her chin up proudly. "Y'know," Davis added, "as long as we don't have to deal with anything tougher than a Champion..."

_"Mekanorimon, digivolve to . . ."_

Davis blinked. "Did he just say what I think he said?"

Everyone looked anxiously in the direction Gatomon had knocked her opponent, to see a bright light flaring out from the growth. They stepped backwards as the trees were pushed aside by the growing Digimon, and when the light faded, it revealed a large, angry looking dragon in a big metal helmet.

 _". . . Megadramon,"_ the monster growled, glowering at the children.

Davis swallowed.

"Apparently," Gatomon mewed apprehensively.

"Let's all," Cody whispered, "just back away slowly..."

This is something they then tried to do. As soon as Megadramon spotted their movement, however, it snarled. Rearing up, it extended its heavily loaded arms and let out a menacing, _**"Genocide Attack!"**_

"Nope! Now's the time for running!" Davis exclaimed, and they all stormed back in the direction of the monitor.

"How is that even possible?!" Ken questioned. "It shouldn't be possible for a wild Digimon to just Digivolve like that-!"

"Running now," Yolei cried, "questions later!"

The Megadramon was rushing after them in a blind rage, obliterating anything that stood in its path.

"I can see the monitor!" Patamon cried.

Sure enough, just a few yards ahead, the monitor sat quietly, oblivious to the oncoming threat.

Yolei rushed ahead of the others, pulling her D3 out of her pocket and holding it ahead of her. Skidding to a halt in front of the monitor, she yelled, **"DigiPort Open!"**

But nothing happened. Confused, as the others gathered behind her, she tried again. **"DigiPort, Open!"** But still, nothing. Yolei clenched her teeth. "Oh, come on!" She smacked the Digivice a couple times. "Work, you stupid-!"

"DigiPort Open!" Cody attempted, holding out his own D3. He frowned. "Nothing. It's closed."

"Are you **kidding me?!"** Yolei cried.

"W-What are we going to do now?" Kari asked.

"Gatomon, I don't suppose...?" TK tried hopefully.

"Oh, oh no!" Gatomon cut him off. "No way! I'll be skinned alive!"

Davis turned backwards, then slowly turned his head upwards. The Megadramon was looming, frothing at the mouth. Davis took a deep breath and held it there, and the Megadramon tilted its head curiously. The others had sensed the monster's presence and were holding as still as possible. Unfortunately, this wasn't going to save them. The big machine Digimon was still looking like it planned to have them for lunch.

"Welp," Gatomon mewed, "seems like we're all catnip."

"I just wanna say," Patamon whimpered, "I l-love you guys..."

Davis let out the breath he was holding. Mustering up every ounce of Courage he had, he held up his arms and exclaimed, "Okay, ugly! You want something to chase, then here ya go!" He jumped up and down, causing the now very surprised Megadramon to tilt its head to the other side.

"Davis, what are you doing?!" Yolei whispered.

"Come on!" Davis ignored her protest. "Come and get me!"

He shot off into the woods to the right, and the Megadramon roared and gave chase.

"Davis!" Yolei called.

"Motomiya, no!" Ken cried.

But it was too late. Davis had his heart set on getting this monster as far away from his friends as possible, and he wasn't going back now. Unfortunately for him, he had absolutely no idea what he planned on doing from here, and chances were this hungry Megadramon would catch up to him any second and swallow him whole. It certainly didn't help that he somehow managed to trip over a small rock and land flat on his face. Fearing for his life, Davis glanced over his shoulder to see the Megadramon breathing loudly over him. It gnashed its teeth nastily as it leaned over; it seemed to think this was some sort of sick game.

Well, it was a game that Davis didn't want any part of. He knew that once this monster was done with him, there was a chance it would go back for the other Digidestined, and as long as there was breath in Davis's lungs, he wasn't going to let that happen.

He reached for the rock that he had tripped over and took it in his hand, then pulled himself to his feet. He met the Megadramon's gaze steadily for a couple moments, holding the rock up threateningly, just daring the Megadramon to make a move at him. Then, slowly, the dragon reared up, opened its jaws, and gave a low growl. Davis held his arm back, ready to throw. However, before he had the chance, he was suddenly overcome by a great presence. He stared in confusion at the rock in his hand, which now gave off a blue radiance.

The Megadramon, on the other hand, didn't care. It flicked its long tail, then lunged at its target.

And then, just when it seemed all hope was lost, everything went black.

* * *

_"I've been waiting a long time for you, Daisuke Motomiya."_

Davis opened his eyes, only to be greeted with inky darkness on all sides. The rock fell from his hand.

He turned his head slowly, to the right, then to the left, but he couldn't locate the source of the voice that had just addressed him.

 _"Do not be afraid."_ Davis swung his head back in front of him. _"I am here to help."_

Davis's eyebrows furrowed. "Who are you?" he asked harshly. "What do you want?"

_"My name is_ _**Arashimon** _ _. I want to help you. Or, more accurately, I want your help."_

Davis cocked his head. "Wha...? What do you mean? How can I help you?"

_"That will be explained later. For now..."_

Davis looked down at the rock he had been holding, from which the blue aura rose out of and took shape before him. It was blurry, but Davis thought he could just make out the form of a tall man in heavy armor.

_"...there are more important things at hand. Daisuke, right now, your team needs a leader."_

Davis scowled at this. "I _know_ they need a leader," he growled, "but I can't lead them when you're holding me against my will in this creepy black void!"

Arashimon chuckled.

_"And how exactly did you plan on leading them while you were being digested in Megadramon's stomach?"_

Davis flinched.

_"Not to worry. It is not too late. I can give you the strength you need."_

Davis eased a little. "The strength I need for _what?"_ he inquired.

_"There is Ancient evil in the Digital World, Daisuke. Megadramon is just the beginning. I will need the aid of you and your partners to defeat it."_

"Well, we're no strangers to defeating evil..."

 _"It is greater than anything you have faced."_ Arashimon's voice became sharp. _"It is not just a corrupt human bent on having a good time. It is not just a Virus Digimon with a god complex. It will take the strength and will of a warrior to take down for good."_

"I don't get it."

Arashimon sighed.

_"I don't need you to 'get it'. Not yet. For now, tell me; what is it you want most?"_

Davis answered without hesitation: "To save my friends from Megadramon!"

_"Then so be it! Show me your digivice, Daisuke."_

Davis reached into his pocket and pulled out his D3, then extended his hand to show it to the blue aura. Automatically, the digivice began to change shape. The antennae vanished, the screen became larger and surrounded by a pointed gray ring, and the blue grip now took up a majority of the device. Davis gasped, and when it was finished, examined his new gadget.

_"This is your D-Tector. It will allow you to harness the power I will bestow you."_

Davis looked up. "What kind of power are we talking about here?" he questioned. "And, what is all this about 'Ancient evil'?!"

_"These are questions you will have to answer for yourself, for I fear there is no more time to waste."_

The aura's shape once again melted into indiscernible blue light, and caused Davis to yelp as it spun itself in a ring around his empty hand.

_"If you wish to save your team, then follow my commands. Say 'execute'."_

Davis hesitated for a short moment, then decided that this couldn't possibly end any worse than it would if he refused. "Execute!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing around the void.

_"Now, press your D-Tector against the ring."_

Davis did as he was told, somewhat surprised to find the aura holding itself solid as he did so.

_"Good! Now release, and say, 'Spirit Evolution!'"_

Davis swiped his D-Tector and held the aura over his head. "Spirit Evolution!" he shouted, feeling rather silly as he did so.

Then, much to Davis's surprise, the blue radiance expanded and overtook his whole body, and he felt the immense power Arashimon had described overtaking his entire being.

_"Good luck, Daisuke; you're going to need it."_

* * *

Megadramon roared its distaste as a blinding light flashed in front of it. It shook its big head, holding its eyes shut tight until the light faded. When it was over, it reopened them, and made a small, confused growl.

"Motomiya!" came the terrified call of an exhausted looking Ken as he burst out of the bracken, followed by Yolei, TK, and Patamon. They quickly came to share a similar confused expression to that of the Megadramon.

Where Davis had been standing before, there now stood a Digimon, human-like in appearance, and clad in blue armor. He wore a blue chest plate lined with gold, the back of which had a shark-like fin on it. Plates with golden spikes were strapped to his elbows and upper legs, and he also bore big, heavy looking boots, the bottoms of which were decorated with two golden claws. To match these boots, he had gauntlets on his lower arms, from which emerged his fingers. He wore shoulder pads, the left emblazon with the crest of Courage, and the right, of Friendship. Under all of this armor was a black leather body suit that covered everything aside from his neck, which had three thin indentations on either side, and his head. Atop his head was a blue helmet, baring striking resemblance to a dragon's head, and baring a big gold horn above what would be the dragon's muzzle. Under this helmet was a head of messy brown hair. Around his waist was a brown belt with a gold buckle, with a holster carrying a D-Terminal. This belt also had a shoulder strap, which kept a weapon held up diagonal on his back. This weapon was a long, thin blue cannon with two handles and a yellow spike on top of it similar to the one on the Digimon's helmet. In his right hand, he held a blue digivice, a model of which was alien to the Digidestineds.

"Is that...?" Yolei began slowly.

The armored Digimon flexed his empty hand, then slipped the Digivice into his holster beside the D-Terminal. Then, he raised his head, and revealed his green eyes to meet Megadramon's deadly gaze.

"I am Arashimon," he declared, probably loud enough for the entire forest to hear, "the Spirit of Sea." He paused, as Megadramon tilted its head curiously. "You have threatened the safety of teammates." He pointed his index finger towards the monster before him. "For that, I will make you pay!"

"...Motomiya?!" Ken cried under his breath.

The Megadramon raised its head, letting out a deafening roar, and signaling that it accepted Arashimon's challenge.

Arashimon smirked. "Bring it on."

 _"Mega Death Fire!"_ Megadramon unhinged its jaw and unleashed a powerful beam of flame in Arashimon's direction. Rather than moving out of the way, however, Arashimon's immediate reaction was to whip his cannon off of his back and aim it right back at his opponent.

"Dramon Cannon!" Arashimon exclaimed, pulling the trigger and firing off a supercharged blue laser beam that met Megadramon's attack head on.

"Take cover!" TK cried, as he and Yolei pulled Ken, frantically exclaiming "Motomiya! Motomiya!" at the top of his lungs, back into the bracken.

The attacks extinguished each other, much to Megadramon's disappointment. Deciding that it would be better off doing things the simple way, the dragon then lunged straight at Arashimon. Arashimon reattached his cannon to his back and raised his arms up. Megadramon rammed into him, but Arashimon stood his ground. Skidding back in the dirt, Arashimon took a hold of the huge dragon and threw it back down on his other side. Unscathed, the Megadramon roared again and took off into the air, staring down Arashimon with uncertain eyes.

"You're not going anywhere," Arashimon growled. He charged forward, then leaped into the air as Megadramon turned to face him. "Get a load of this! Dramon Punch!" He socked the dragon in the muzzle, causing it to reel back in frustration. But still, he had hardly left a mark. Arashimon fell back down to the earth, landing ungracefully on his back and leaving an indent in the dirt.

"Damn it!" Arashimon sat up and shook his head. He didn't have very long to curse himself though, as the Megadramon swooped back down from the air with its maw held open. Arashimon hopped to his feet and darted out of the way. The Megadramon skirted around and flew back in the direction of its opponent, and Arashimon again leaped out of its path. Weighing his options, he watched the beast again swerve and turn back in his direction. Arashimon glanced back at the trees behind him, then got an idea that was so insane that it just might work.

As Megadramon soared down for another attack, Arashimon shot towards the nearest tree. He jumped up and landed his feet on the trunk, and then, as Megadramon passed, pushed off and did a back flip, landing on Megadramon's back.

"I did _not_ think that would work!" Arashimon exclaimed as Megadramon took back to the skies.

Arashimon took hold of Megadramon's hair and used it to climb up to the monster's head. As it flew around searching for its target, Arashimon hopped up onto its head. "Dramon Punch!" He shouted, knocking his fist above its eye.

The Megadramon perked. Howling in outrage, it began trying to shake Arashimon off of it. This succeeded, much to Arashimon's horror, and he was sent flying into the air.

"I didn't think that would work either—!"

As he began falling back down to the earth, he grasped the end of Megadramon's tail, only to be immediately thrown off again. He landed on his face this time, with an embarrassing **'thud'**.

Arashimon snorted. "Well, it was cool while it lasted." He stood back up and turned his gaze skyward, watching the Megadramon circle like a vulture. Arashimon clenched his fist, pulling his arm back. "Storm Blaster!" He shot his arm forward, and a blast of electricity fire out of it, which hit Megadramon's wing and knocked it down. "Yes!"

Arashimon stormed in the direction Megadramon had fallen, which was in an area of the forest he had yet to explore. He heard the deafening **'crash'** of the Megadramon's impact with the ground, and followed the noise. He crashed through the wood and out into the clearing where Megadramon was now laying. Here was a small lake, in which the Megadramon's injured body was splayed across. It sniffed the air, then raised its head to look at the Digimon who had shot it down, its lips drawn back in a snarl.

Arashimon scowled. "Alright, buddy," he growled, "let's finish this."

 _"Parry Force!"_ The Megadramon raised one of its big metal hands and clamped it, then hurled it down in Arashimon's direction. Arashimon jumped and, as the hand landed in the dirt, landed on the monster's arm, dashing up to its body. When he was thrown off, as he was expecting to be he pulled his cannon off of his back again.

"Dramon Cannon!" he shouted, firing the blaster in midair and landing a hit on the Megadramon's face. He landed in the knee-high water, and reattached the gun to his back. The Megadramon was shaking its head. Again, hardly any damage had been done. "Oh... come on!"

Arashimon observed his surroundings as a fish skirted his leg. He snapped his fingers. Of course, he was in his own element now. He crouched down as the Megadramon leaned over him, breathing heavily with bared teeth. But Arashimon was determined to win this fight. He wasn't going to be dragon food today.

"Tidal Wave!" Arashimon cried, leaping into the air and bringing the surrounding water with him. Several feet into the air with the water rising above him, the thrust his arms downwards, and all of the water came crashing down onto the Megadramon as it roared in fear.

As the water dissipated back into the lake, Arashimon splashed back down onto his feet. The Megadramon was laying in the water with its eyes closed. It was still alive, though. Its data was still intact. Arashimon approached cautiously. He watched the Megadramon's sides heave up and down slowly. It didn't look interested in fighting any more, to Arashimon's relief. But why?

Suddenly, a loud growl echoed through the forest, causing whatever birds that hadn't already fled to take off out of the trees. Arashimon stepped back, expecting Megadramon to attack again. It then occurred to him that, while Megadramon had made the growl, it hadn't come from its throat. It had come from its stomach. The big dragon opened its eyes and sniffed weakly as a dangerously curious fish came to investigate the intruder in the water. Megadramon opened its maw and drank in the water, and the fish along with it. Then it closed its mouth, and swallowed, then let out a wistful sigh.

"Oh, I see..." Arashimon began, and Megadramon's eye rested on him. "You're just hungry."

Megadramon whimpered.

Having come to an understanding with his adversary, Arashimon glanced around the water below him. A largish fish flitted across his gaze, and he blinked. He took a couple of tentative steps forward, and then, carefully threw himself downwards, and pulled the fish out of the water. It wriggled in his arms, and Megadramon watched curiously. "Sorry, Gomamon," Arashimon muttered, as he squeezed the the fish in an attempt to keep it held. After a minute or so of struggle, the fish went limp. Arashimon sighed.

He held the fish out to Megadramon, who tilted its head and gave said fish a sniff. Then, it pushed itself up, and held its maw open wide. It was too high for Arashimon to give the fish to it. Then the Megadramon lunged forward, and Arashimon's eyes widened. He was almost certain that the dragon was set to swallow him along with the fish.

However, water splashed from behind him, and Arashimon turned to see Megadramon swallowing a school of fish that had wisely moved to the other side of the lake. He gave a sigh of relief.

Once Megadramon was finished, it settled itself in front of Arashimon again. Its sniffed, and cocked its head. Then it held its jaws open, with its tongue lolling out. Arashimon glanced it over, then hastily tossed the fish into the monster's big, smelly mouth. It swallowed, and then finally, exhaled with deep content.

"Eh heh," Arashimon chuckled meekly. Megadramon opened its eyes and gave Arashimon a grateful blink. Whether it was for the fish or for not killing it, Arashimon wasn't sure. "Uh, you okay there..." Arashimon began, slowly extending his hand to touch Megadramon's nose, "...big guy?"

Megadramon paused for a moment. Then, to Arashimon's relief, it pressed its nose against his hand.

Arashimon grinned. "Hey, there you go!" He patted the big monster's nose a couple times. "You're not so scary, are you?"

Megadramon gave a reptilian purr.

With a new friend made, Arashimon decided that his job was done. "Hey," he said, and Megadramon perked, "do you think you could fly me back over to my friends?"

Megadramon pondered this for a moment, then nodded.

"Awesome!" Arashimon hopped up onto Megadramon's upper back, and yowled with exhilaration as the dragon spread its wings and ascended into the air. "Here we go!"

* * *

Cody, Kari, and Gatomon were cautiously following the path to the clearing where their friends had gone.

"The commotion stopped," Cody acknowledged.

"Mm hm," Kari responded briskly.

"But is that a good thing," Gatomon added, "or a bad thing?"

As the three entered into the clearing, they were greeted by their missing teammates; all of them except for Davis.

"Oh my god!" Yolei exclaimed, rushing to meet them and not even stopping to let them ask what became of Davis. "You guys will _not_ believe what just happened!"

"Why?" Cody questioned.

"What happened to Davis?" Kari inquired pointedly.

"That's the thing!" Yolei exclaimed. Behind them, Ken was still crying "Motomiya!", and being restrained by TK and Patamon. "So the Megadramon had him cornered," Yolei began to explain, "and it looked like it was totally gonna eat him! But then there was this _huge_ flash of light, and then—"

"Hey, **guys!** "

At this, everyone looked skyward, and saw Megadramon descending back down into the clearing. A couple of them screeched, and they all made room as the monster landed on the grass. Then, to their surprise, it leaned down, revealing its rider. "I made a friend!" Arashimon declared, waving to his teammates.

 _"Davis?!"_ TK gasped in complete and utter disbelief.

"He looks different!" Patamon exclaimed. "Did he get a haircut?"

"Motomiya!" Unhesitatingly, Ken stormed over to Megadramon, staring up at Arashimon.

Arashimon climbed down from Megadramon's back, patting his new friend thankfully once on solid ground. Then he turned to the group of gaping children before him. He smiled. "I'm Arashimon!" he announced. Reaching into his holster, he pulled out his D-Tector and pressed a button on the side. With this, the group gasped as he became surrounded by a bright blue aura, which then got sucked into the digivice. "And... now I'm Davis."

"Motomiya...!" Ken gasped, grasping his friend's arm with relief.

"What?!" Yolei cried. "I mean?! I just?! **What?!** "

"I am _so_ confused..." Cody droned.

"I don't get it," said Patamon.

Gatomon was just staring with flattened ears.

"Oh my gosh, Davis," Kari pushed ahead of the others, "are you okay?"

Davis grinned, blushing slightly. "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

"What happened?" TK asked.

Davis scratched his head. "Well, it's kind of a long story..."

Yolei folded her arms. "Well, it's a long story we ought to hear!" she said.

Ignoring her request, Davis turned to Megadramon. "Hey, buddy," he said, and Megadramon turned its head in his direction. "You haven't happened to have seen a little yellow Digimon with a shell, have you?"

Megadramon blinked slowly, then nodded.

Davis and a couple of the others perked with hope. "Great!" Davis exclaimed. "Then could you take us to where you saw him?"

Megadramon nodded again.

"Davis!" Yolei exclaimed.

"What? I just got us a free ride to Armadillomon!"

"That's not the point!" Yolei retorted. "Are you going to tell us what happened, or not?!"

Davis paused. "I'll tell you on the way," he replied, "but for now..." He looked over the group, eyeing him with anticipation. "I was told that something big is coming," Davis explained, "something bigger than anything we've had to fight before." He grasped his D-Tector tightly. "But, whatever it is, I think we can get through it." He smiled. "I know we can get through it. Because we're the Digidestined!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TODAY'S DIGIMON: "Arashimon" - The Storm Monster  
> Arashi is a Japanese word meaning "storm".


	4. The Code of Samuraimon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day, the Digidestineds and Megadramon try to find a nice place to settle down for the night. However, nothing can ever be easy, as Arashimon is faced with an opponent he won't be able to defeat on his own. Who will stand beside him?

“Wooo hooooo!”

Megadramon soared over the conjoined forests of the Digital World, six humans and two smaller Digimon holding onto its back for dear life. Davis sat atop the big monster's head, screaming joyfully as Megadramon took him and his friends on a practical airborne roller coaster ride. The others behind him didn't seem quite so enthralled, although TK and Kari seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“I think I'm gonna throw up!” Yolei complained, as Megadramon made a short lunge downward before continuing on.

“If you are going to,” Cody responded, “please do it out there, and not over here!”

Davis laughed. “Man, I don't know what you guys are complaining about! This is _awesome!”_

“Maybe if you like **falling to your death!!”** Yolei roared.

Kari and TK began laughing along with Davis, much to Yolei's discontent. “Don't worry,” TK assured her, “just hold on and you'll be fine!”

“Right, we've survived crazier things than this!” Kari concurred.

Gatomon clung close to Kari with all four paws, her ears flattened against her head and her eyes shut tight. Patamon was hanging beside her, squealing as the air rippled through his thin fur. He glanced sideways at his companion. “Y'know, just because you close your eyes doesn't mean it isn't happening!”

“Yes it does!” Gatomon yowled. “Otherwise I'm dead!”

“Gatomon, literally all of your evolutions fly.”

“But this one doesn't!!”

Patamon rolled his eyes.

Ken, who was sitting at the very back of all this, glanced down at the disturbingly far away earth, swallowed, then turned his attention forward again. “Um!” he called, gaining the attention of a majority of his companions. “I might have missed this, but where are we going exactly?!”

Davis blinked, then scratched his head. “Uh... that's a good question. Hey, Megadramon!” He looked down towards the large dragon he was sitting atop, who grunted in response. “Where _are_ we going?”

Megadramon snorted and shook its head slightly, just enough to rattle Davis. “Eugh! Okay, okay!”

“How did you _think_ he would respond?” TK questioned.

Ignoring him, Davis turned his head to answer Ken's question. “Apparently, we're going wherever Megadramon is taking us.”

“That's not very informative...” Ken muttered.

“Hopefully Megadramon will keep his word,” Cody said loudly, “and take us to Armadillomon!”

“Well, technically, he isn't taking us to Armadillomon,” Kari interjected, “he's taking us to the place he last saw Armadillomon.”

“Still, it doesn't make sense to me,” said Ken, “how Armadillomon could have gotten so far in so little time!”

“We should probably just assume the worst,” Yolei growled, causing a look of horror to drift across Ken's face.

“Don't say things like that, Yolei,” Cody scolded. “The last thing we need right now is more panic.”

Yolei sighed, glancing to the left. “You're right, you're right,” she replied, “I'm sorry. I'm just making things worse.”

“You e-mailed Izzy about the DigiPort, right?!” TK called back.

“Yeah!” answered Yolei. “But he hasn't responded yet!”

“Check again when we land!”

“Okay!”

TK looked to Kari, who was peering over Megadramon's side to see the broken earth below them. All of the forests and grasslands from across the Digital World, here amalgamated as a single area. “Who could do such a thing...?” Kari pondered quietly, almost unheard over the roaring wind. “And... why?”

TK scowled. “I get the feeling we're going to find out at some point,” he said, and Kari turned to him. “But for now, we need to focus on the task at hand.”

Kari nodded. “Right.” Though she couldn't help glancing over the edge again. This time, instead of the ground, her gaze ended up affixed to Megadramon's weakly flapping wings. “He's tired...” she muttered.

TK perked at this, then turned forward. “Hey, Davis!” he called.

“Eh?!”

“Do you think we could take a break sometime soon?!”

Davis's brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?! We have to keep moving, or else we'll never find Armadillomon!”

“Well it's just that--”

“Megadramon is tired!” Kari interrupted.

Davis blinked, his cheeks flushing slightly. Then he swung back around. “Megadramon, buddy!” he exclaimed, and the monster grunted in response. “If, uh, if you see a place you like...! You can land! And we'll rest for a while!”

Everybody felt their bodies move up, and then down again as Megadramon heaved a sigh. Kari smiled. TK rolled his eyes and shook his head.

In the distance, a blurry figure peeked out through the clouds, which caught Megadramon's attention. It zipped forward, causing a bit more screeching from Yolei and Gatomon, and the now closer figure was revealed to be a snow-capped mountain.

“That definitely wasn't there before,” TK commented.

“None of this was here before!” Patamon shouted.

Megadramon soared up and onward, towards the mountain in the distance. As it did so, it became apparent that this wasn't just one mountain; it was an entire mountain range, each one apparently covered in caves. It seemed to the Digidestineds that they had just exited forest territory.

 _“This_ is where we're landing?!” Yolei exclaimed, as Megadramon chose a relatively flat area on the peak to perch. “Are we sure this is safe?!”

“Megadramon seems to think it's safe,” Kari said.

Yolei fumed. **“Megadramon is a--”** Before she could finish her sentence, Megadramon turned its head back and snarled, an action pointed directly towards Yolei. A wave of fear washing over her, she continued, “...a _perfectly_ competent, enormous monster that could swallow me in one bite.” Megadramon growled approvingly.

It selected a chilly but mostly uncovered area just outside of a smallish cave. When it landed, It laid flat on its stomach so that the kids could slide off of it. “Oh thank god...” Gatomon sighed when her paws hit the earth.

Once Davis was off, he walked over to Megadramon's tail, observing that the others were doing well, and helped Ken down. Ken exhaled deeply, watching the frozen carbon dioxide float up and dissipate in the air. “We should check to see if that cave is empty,” he suggested.

Davis glanced back at the others. Kari was rubbing Megadramon's muzzle, Gatomon was singing the prayers of solid ground, Patamon was curled up on TK's head, TK and Cody were checking out the surroundings, and Yolei still looked like she was going to throw up.

Davis blinked. “Right.” Then he turned to approach the group.

“What do you think this place is?” Cody inquired.

“I think it's some sort of old mine camp,” answered TK.

“That would explain all of the caverns,” Cody observed. “And... that pick over there.” He pointed out a pickax sticking out of the ground by the mouth of the cave.

Davis called attention, “Alright, I'm gonna go check out that cave!”

“Then we'll go with you.” Davis frowned as he was approached by TK, Patamon still comfortably perched on his head.

“Why?” Davis growled.

“Because he has a Digimon,” Patamon answered plainly.

Davis looked displeased. “Then why doesn't Kari come with me? She has a Digimon that can actually fight.”

“I can fight!” Patamon retorted.

“I'm not going anywhere until I'm breathing properly!!” Gatomon declared.

TK smiled weakly, both at Gatomon's comment, and at Davis's increasingly disgruntled expression. “If anything happens, Gatomon's right out here,” he said.

Davis snorted. “Alright,” he said, “fine. Come on.”

“Don't take too long!” Gatomon called after them, as the boys entered through the cavern's mouth together.

It was a rather snug opening, so much so that it was almost entirely illuminated by the afternoon light outside. It was large enough to fit the eight of them, but definitely not Megadramon. It wasn't much warmer than it was outside, but it was relatively dry, aside from a pair of stalactites dripping in the corner.

“Looks pretty empty to me,” Davis said mildly.

“You don't see anything, Patamon?” asked TK, as his partner sniffed the air.

Patamon shook his head. “Nope,” he answered. “There was someone in here a while ago, but the scent is stale.”

“Well, alright then.”

“Sweet!” Davis grinned. “It's good to not have more problems!” So he turned around and marched back outside, TK and Patamon following. “Good news!” Davis announced to the group. “There's nothing in there! It's all ours!”

“Good to hear,” said Ken.

“Especially since Gatomon and Patamon can't digivolve,” Yolei added crossly. “Speaking of which, we should probably do something about that.”

She pulled off her back pack and set it down in front of her, and Patamon flapped down to sniff the zipper curiously. Yolei unzipped the bag, and Patamon's face lit up as it was revealed to be filled with junk food from the convenience store.

 **“Food!”** Patamon cried, his eyes shining.

Before Yolei got to say anything, Patamon has his entire head stuck in her bag. He attempted to climb inside, but couldn't fit all the way, so his back feet wriggled in the air. Then the bag plopped over, causing Patamon to stop squirming. Yolei rolled her eyes.

Gatomon padded over and lightly kicked the bag. “Good job.”

Patamon crawled back out, carrying a pudding cup in his little paws. “Gatomon, Gatomon!” he exclaimed, ignoring her remark. “Look at this! It's food, real food!”

As Patamon viciously ripped the lip off of the pudding cup and began licking up its contents, Gatomon sighed wistfully and set a paw on her growling belly. “My empty stomach and light head are conflicting...”

“Whatever you do,” Yolei told the Digimon, “don't eat too much of it. This is all we have, and who knows when we'll be able to restock...” She lowered her head thoughtfully.

“Still no word from Izzy, huh?” asked TK.

Yolei stood up and pulled her D-Terminal out of her pocket, as Gatomon slowly and cautiously peered into the backpack. Yolei opened the small computer and skimmed it over. “Nope,” she replied. “Still nothing.”

“Well, you know what they say,” said Cody hopefully, “'no news is good news'.”

“Even so, we should be prepared for the worst,” said TK.

Davis was nodding silently, only half-listening to the conversation as he watched Kari examine Megadramon for injuries. He was brought to attention very suddenly, however, when he heard his name called. “Davis!” It was Kari, who had apparently caught him observing her. His face completely flushed over. Kari didn't look upset, though. She beckoned him towards her with a wave of her hand, and he hurriedly obliged.

“What is it?”

“I don't think Megadramon is going to be able to fly again today,” Kari told him.

Davis frowned. “Darn...” he muttered, looking up at Megadramon's resting body. “I was hoping to get farther than we did.”

“There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow,” Kari reassured him, “but considering all of the panic today, it's probably best for all of us to take the time to calm down.”

Davis nodded. “You're right, Kari.” With a dorky grin, he added, “You're so smart.”

Kari smirked. “Go tell the others.”

“Okay.”

“About Megadramon!” Kari clarified as he walked away.

“I know what you meant!” Davis shouted back.

The others were still looking pensive about the closed DigiPort when Davis rejoined them. “What did she want, lover boy?” Yolei teased, an attempt to lighten the mood coming at Davis's expense.

“Mm.” Davis blinked, unimpressed. “Looks like we're not going any farther today; Megadramon's too tired.”

Cody made a small, disappointed grumble.

“But we'll be moving again tomorrow morning, right?” asked Ken.

Davis nodded. “With any luck.”

“Good,” said TK. “We probably shouldn't keep going until Izzy writes back anyway.”

“How come?” questioned Davis.

“Because he'll be able to tell us whether the portal is opening anytime soon,” TK answered.

“We should settle down, then,” said Cody absently, “if we're staying.”

“Okay,” TK responded, “then everybody should set their stuff inside. Does anybody have materials to start a fire?”

“I'll check,” said Yolei. “Okay-- O _kay_ you two, give me back my bag!”  
“But **food!”** Patamon cried.

“You can have more later! Now give!”

Patamon pouted as Yolei yanked her bag out of his grasp and swung it back over her shoulder. Gatomon, meanwhile, was contently munching on a boring-looking cereal bar.

* * *

 

“Look at that down there!”

“Huh? What am I looking at?”

Higher on the mountain, a pair of bulky-looking Digimon were watching the Digidestineds converse.

“Oh... what are they?”

“I think they're called 'humans'.”

“Humans? In the Digital World? That can't be right.”

“Well, whatever they are, they're intruding on the boss's territory!”

“Should we tell him?”

“What does it matter? He'll just tell us to squash them anyway!”

“So what do we do?”

“We squash them!”

“But what about that Digimon they've got with them? It could eat us for dinner!”

“Don't worry, I've got a plan.”

* * *

Soon, everybody got to work. They set their stuff down inside, gathered up all of the materials they had and made a makeshift campfire, mostly out of garbage. Davis found a matchbox at the bottom of his backpack, which made things infinitely easier. It was a trouble to keep going, but it was enough to keep the eight of them from freezing to death. To pass the sluggish time, Davis and Yolei engaged in a battle of ghost story telling. Neither was very good at it.

“...and when the doors closed,” Davis concluded, wiggling his fingers ominously, “they never opened again.”

Everybody stared at him blankly. “Wow, Davis,” Gatomon eventually spoke up. “That was the worst story I've ever heard.”

Then there was a round of laughing, including from Davis himself. He knew the story was bad, he had told it intentionally so. He wasn't much of a storyteller, so why bother?

“I liked it,” Patamon declared.

Gatomon snorted. “Seriously?”

“Yeah!” Patamon replied. “It was hilarious!”

Gatomon smirked.

“Well,” Davis said, “no matter what any of you think, my story was still better than Yolei's.”

“What?!” Yolei exclaimed. “It was not!”

“Yeah it was!” Davis retorted. “You used every cliché in the book!”

“So did you!”

“Well I did it better!”

“You're an idiot!”

“You're more of an idiot!”

“Do you know who you're talking to?!”

Kari sighed. “Isn't it nice to be in the great outdoors...?”

“This reminds me of something,” TK chuckled.

Ken was feebly attempting to break up the argument, and Cody was sitting quietly and watching the chaos unfold before him.

“Do you think the gate is going to stay closed?” Kari inquired suddenly.

TK removed his hat, scratching his head. “It's hard to say,” he responded. “It hasn't been acting normally lately...”

In spite of this answer, Kari was smiling. “If that's the case,” she said, “it will be kind of exciting to trapped out here again.”

TK grinned back. “Just like the good old days, huh?” Turning towards the other four, he frowned. “Even so... I can't help worrying about how they'll handle it.”

“I'm sure they'll be fine,” said Kari. “Well, maybe not at first, but we'll just have to help them through it.”

TK nodded. “I hope you're right.”

“'And the doors never opened,' you said! How is that better than mine?!”

“It's just better!!”

Davis and Yolei's friendly argument had somehow grown even louder.

“Does something seem off to you?” TK asked.

“What do you mean?” Kari responded with another question.

“I dunno, doesn't it just seem a little too... peaceful?”

Their conversation was interrupted by a **“CRASH!”** which complimented a disgraceful fall on the part of Davis, caused by getting so caught up in the verbal scuffle that he tripped. This then resulted in even more laughing from everyone aside from TK and Kari.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Kari grumbled wearily.

“No, no,” TK clarified, “I didn't mean _that._ I meant...” He clenched his teeth. “It feels like there should be something happening. Like we should be running for our lives, or something.”

Kari's brow furrowed momentarily. Then she smiled questioningly. “That's probably just because we're in the Digital World, and we normally can't ever catch a break.”

TK huffed. “I know you're probably right,” he said, a little louder than before, “but I just can't shake this feeling.”

Kari set a hand on his shoulder. “Don't worry,” she said quietly, “you're not the only one who can feel it.”

While he appreciated the sentiment from his close friend, TK couldn't help noticing the skeptical stare Gatomon was now casting him from behind her partner.

While Patamon's head swiveled in their direction, the small Digimon having missed the duration of the conversation, TK decided to give his attention elsewhere. “Hey, Davis,” he called. Davis, who had been dusting himself off after his unenviable tumble, looked up. “That was quite the stunt you pulled earlier today. Think you can do it again?”

All eyes were now set on a very confused Davis.

Ken lifted his head. “I think he means...” he paused, biting his lip before finishing, _“...Arashimon.”_

This was followed by some awkward silence, and a look of understanding crossing Davis's face. He reached into one of the the pockets on his cargo shorts, pulling out his D-Tector. “I don't know,” he answered. “I haven't tried to do it again.”

“Can we get a closer look at that thing?” Yolei requested.

With a nod, Davis obliged. He held out the Digivice for all to see. It was similarly shaped to the D-3s, lacking an antennae. It was primarily blue, with a white grip on the right. The small screen was surrounded by a silver ring, which had three points sticking out of either side. There were several gray buttons on the machine, and one gold button at the center. There was also a gray trigger on the very left.

“Wow,” said Ken.

Yolei's eyes flicked over it a couple times, and she came to this conclusion: “It don't get it. Why did it need to change?”

“You said that Arashimon talked to you,” said Cody. “What did he say about it?”

Davis looked at the digivice in his hand, cocking an eyebrow. “He didn't really tell me _why_ it had to change. He just kinda changed it, then turned me into a Digimon. He called it a D-Tector, though,” he added.

“There's gotta be a reason for it changing,” said TK.

Davis scratched his chin. “Well, actually...” He snapped his fingers, recalling one of the lines from Arashimon's exposition dump. “He told me that it could 'harness the power he gave me', or something like that,” he made quotations with his free hand.

“So the D-Tector lets you turn into a Digimon?” questioned Patamon, perching atop TK's head again.

“I've heard more far fetched things in my life,” commented Gatomon.

“What else did he tell you?” Kari inquired.

“Nothing other than what I told you on the way here,” Davis answered.

“Well _that's_ helpful,” Yolei scoffed. “So what, Armageddon is coming and the only thing we know is that we need to 'harness' some vague power that turned Davis into a Digimon?”

“I'm sure there's more to it than that...” Kari began.

“Well, even if there is,” Yolei argued, “we don't know anything about it! What are we supposed to do??” Her words becoming increasingly panicked, she continued, “And what happens if we're not ready when this 'Ancient evil' shows up? What will we do?! We don't even know where our partners are!! We'll be squashed!! We'll... we'll...”

She was hyperventilating at this point, which was not helping the stress levels of Ken and Patamon. Kari set her hands on Yolei's back and shoulder, pulling the older girl aside for a moment to calm her down.

“As much as I don't like to admit it, Yolei has a point,” said Cody grimly. “We don't know anything about what we're up against, and we don't know where we're supposed to go from here.”

“That's an unfortunately negative way of thinking...” Ken sighed.

“Yeah, and it's also an unfortunately _stupid_ way of thinking,” Davis snorted.

“I say, for now,” TK suggested, “we just keep going the way we were planning on going anyway. Until we're steered in another direction, we should just keep looking for your partners.”

Hesitantly, Davis nodded. “It's way too early for us to be thinking about everything that could go wrong,” he concurred. “We need to keep moving forward!”

“If I know the Digital World--” Gazes were directed downwards as Gatomon piped up. “--which, I should-- then we won't be in the dark for very long. I agree with Davis and TK.”

“Right!” Patamon exclaimed. “There's no time for worries!” he declared, “There's only time for progress!”

“Yeah!” Davis cheered, throwing a fist in the air. “That's the spirit!”

Ken smiled. “Sounds like it's settled, then.”

Cody nodded. “Being pessimistic won't get us anywhere, anyway.”

Before the conversation could go any further, a loud growl came from outside, ringing across the mountain range. Their pitiful little fire was muted. TK and Davis exchanged a quick glance, before storming out of the cave.

As expected, the growl had come from Megadramon, and Kari and Yolei were already by its side, trying to figure out what had triggered it. “Megadramon!” Kari exclaimed, unable to reach the large creature's raised head. “What's the matter?”

“What's going on?” TK asked.

“We don't know,” Yolei responded quickly, “but whatever it is, it can't be good.”

As the others joined them outside, Megadramon's head shifted from side to side, slit eyes searching the rocks and snow above.

Patamon lifted his wings attentively. “Guys,” he whispered, “I don't think we're alone anymore.”

Gatomon's ears perked in response as well. “He's right!” she gasped. “I can hear it too!”

The scampered to her partner's side, and all three Digimon attempted to identify the location of the challenger. It didn't take long for them to find a point of focus. “Someone's coming!” Patamon shouted.

“From up there!” Gatomon pointed towards an upper area not too far from their camp.

The Digidestineds gathered closer to Megadramon as the two figures up on the mountain side were spotted. No longer feeling the need to keep themselves discreet, the pair of Digimon bounded down from their hiding spots, landing only a few feet away from the group. Megadramon released an outraged snarl.

“Hey, buddy,” said one of the Digimon, icy blue with crystals growing out of its hunched shoulders, “you're gonna want to put a lid on it, unless you want more trouble than you're already in.”

Gatomon's ears flattened. “I recognize these Digimon,” she muttered. “That's Hyogamon,” she indicated the Digimon that had spoken, “a subspecies of Ogremon that prefers cold climates. And that one...” she identified the taller Digimon standing beside Hyogamon, with a fiery blue body and stitched mouth, “...is BlueMeramon, an Ultimate evolution of Meramon. Its flames are hot, but its attacks give a serious freezer burn.”

“You're pretty smart,” commented BlueMeramon, “for a mere Champion.”

“Mere Champion?!” Gatomon looked taken aback.

“Hey, yeah,” Hyogamon frowned at his companion, “what's that supposed to mean?”

BlueMeramon rolled his eyes. “Never mind. Carry on.”

“What do you two want?!” Davis exclaimed.

“We could ask you the same thing!” Hyogamon countered. “You think you can just march around the Digital World like you own the place?!”

“What does _that_ mean?” asked TK.

“It means that this territory has an owner,” BlueMeramon answered plainly, “and it's not you. So we're going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Our boss doesn't appreciate _intruders!”_ Hyogamon added indignantly.

TK looked back at Kari, who in turn looked to the still recovering Megadramon, and then clenched her teeth.

So TK took a step forward, to Davis's astonishment, and Patamon hopped off of his head. “Look,” he said, “we're sorry, we didn't realize that this area belonged to you. We wouldn't have stopped here if we had known.”

BlueMeramon narrowed his eyes, and Hyogamon was discreetly drawing a finger across his neck. “But...?” BlueMeramon prompted.

TK sighed. “Normally we would agree to your demands...” He indicated Megadramon behind him, eyeing the challengers and frothing at the mouth. “...but Megadramon here is our only method of transport, and he's too tired to carry us right now.” Hyogamon and BlueMeramon's expressions flattened. “I promise that we'll be able to leave immediately in the morning, but no sooner than that.

He bit his lip, and the group watched in anticipation as the two Digimon considered their options. Eventually the pair looked to each other in agreement, and then looked upon the Digidestineds again.

“'Morning' isn't good enough,” BlueMeramon growled.

“You're gonna leave now,” said Hyogamon, taking a fighting stance, “even if we have to make you!”

The group tensed, Megadramon rising taller to show its hostility. “Well, it was worth a shot,” TK grumbled.

 **“Ice Cudel!”** Hyogamon ripped a crystal off of his left shoulder and slammed it down on the ground in front of the group, in what looked like a warning that absolutely served its purpose. The Digidestineds backed away from the dent now in the rock.

Megadramon, in response, flapped its wings and took a short distance into the air. _“Parry Force!”_ it boomed, preparing an attack.

“Ice Phantom!” BlueMeramon's attack was initiated before Megadramon's, and the cold flames shot up and blew Megadramon back.

“Everybody, back inside!” TK instructed, Patamon flapping up beside him. “Davis and I will take care of this!”

“Go with them,” Gatomon instructed to Kari, as Yolei, Cody, and Ken made haste in obeying TK's orders.

“No,” Kari adamantly refused, “I'm staying with you!”

Gatomon scowled. “I said, go with them, Kari!”

Davis, meanwhile, was looking down at his D-Tector with burning determination. “Alright... time to answer that question of yours, JT!”

“It's TK, actually.”

“Same difference!”

Davis pressed down on the trigger on his D-Tector, and out came the same blue aura from earlier, twisting and wrapping around his hand like a ring. He remembered the instructions Arashimon had given him. “Execute!” He slashed the aura against his digivice just as he had done surprisingly few hours before, and he felt the power building up against him. Then he released, and shouted, “Spirit Evolution!” Then there was burning-- painful, screaming, but quick --and when it was over... **“Arashimon!”**...there stood the same armor clad Digimon who had defeated and befriended Megadramon.

TK smirked. “Nice.”

“Wait!” Hyogamon cried. “Humans aren't supposed to be able to digivolve! How'd he do that?!”

“Not important!” BlueMeramon exclaimed. “An opponent is an opponent, it doesn't matter how he got here.”

“That's right!” said Arashimon. He pulled his cannon off of his back and aimed it threateningly. “Now what do you say to getting outta here before I blast you into next week?”

 **“Never!”** It was Hyogamon who leaped out in an effort to attack Arashimon, taking him off guard. It was also Hyogamon who got slammed away mid-attack due to a well-timed kick in the face from Gatomon.

“Thanks, Gatomon,” Arashimon called, Gatomon flicking her tail in recognition.

Kari dashed over to TK's side, clutching her digivice.

“Kari?” TK questioned. “What are you doing?”

“Helping!” Kari answered. “What else?”

 **“I told you to go with the others!”** Gatomon cried.

“Well, then get helping!” TK pulled out his digivice as well.

BlueMeramon pressed his palms together. “Alright, let's get to work. Cold Flame!”

The fire spread around the area, forming a wall that ended up separating Gatomon from the Digidestineds. “No you don't!” Arashimon held his cannon back up and directed it towards BlueMeramon. “Dramon--”

“Wait, Davis!” TK gripped his shoulder, causing him to cut off the cannon's charge. “Careful aiming that, you would have shot into the cave if you had missed!”

Davis glanced in the direction where he had been planning to fire, and his eyes widened. “Oh... crap, you're right.”

“Throwing Ice!”

Hyogamon replaced the wall of fire with a wall of icicles, which dug into the ground, causing the cliff they were standing on to shift. “This is what happens when you hesitate!” Hyogamon shouted. **“Ice Cudel!”**

Hyogamon slammed his ice club into the wall, shattering the rock it dug into, causing Arashimon, TK and Kari to cringe.

“Crap,” Arashimon muttered.

And the cliff collapsed, sending all three of them down the mountain.

“TK!” Patamon exclaimed, attempting to follow. However, he was snatched out of the air by Hyogamon, who pinned him to the ground.

 **“Let him go!”** Gatomon socked Hyogamon in the face again, this time with her paw, freeing Patamon from his hold.

“Thanks, Gatomon...” Patamon gasped, as the cat helped him to his feet.

“Don't mention it.” Gatomon glanced down over the edge of the now destroyed cliff, trying in every way possible to mask her panic so that it didn't carry over to Patamon. “Nngh... damn it...”

* * *

 

As the rubble settled, TK grumbled and glanced at his surroundings. It seemed that the snow had broken the fall. Or, his at least. His arm hurt, and he was pretty sure his nose was bleeding, but other than that he was just a little scuffed up.

“Davis, Kari,” he called, “are you two okay?”

“I'm fine!” came Kari's voice. “Just wet. And cold.”

Arashimon burst up out of a snow pile, shaking himself off. “I'm okay too!” he exclaimed. Knocking on the plate on his lower arm, he added, “This stuff helps!”

TK pulled himself to his feet, and Arashimon helped up Kari. The three looked up the mountain. How far had they fallen? It was hard to tell. They couldn't see the fighting from where they were, if it was even still going.

“How are we going to get back up?” Kari questioned.

“I don't think we can...” said TK.

Arashimon snorted. “How's that a way to think?” he growled. “We can get up there! Here... I'll show you!” TK and Kari watched Arashimon bound upward several feet in the air, causing air to brush through their hair, and giving TK the need to pin his hat down. Arashimon landed a good ways up, on an unstable-looking patch of rock. “There, you see?!” he called down. “I can get up easi--”

On that note, the rock gave out beneath him, and TK and Kari stepped aside as he toppled ungracefully back to where he started.

“Smooth moves, Arashimon,” said TK flatly.

“Shut up.”

Arashimon stood up, dusted himself off, and tried again. It didn't go any differently from last time. He sighed. “Okay. We're not getting back up there.”

“Do you think Megadramon, Patamon and Gatomon will be able to fight them off on their own?” Kari asked hopefully.

“We're just gonna have to hope for the best,” TK answered. “If they win, they'll come down for us.”

Kari nodded.

“Ugh!” Arashimon roared. “This is so stupid!” He plopped down, folding his arms. “I can't believe we got stuck down here!” Turning on TK, he shouted, “This is your fault!!”

“My fault? How is it _my_ fault?”

“You're the one who distracted me!”

“Because you could have _killed_ our _friends!”_

“Stop!” Kari held her arms out between the boys, effectively muting them. “Don't do this now! It's not important _why_ we're down here, all that matters is that we are.”

“Sorry,” TK quickly apologized.

Arashimon huffed, turning his head away from the two. “Yeah, sorry Kari...” he grumbled.

“You two can have each other's throats later, but for now we should at least try to figure out how far we are from the camp.”

TK nodded, attempting to wipe the blood from under his nose. “Okay, good idea. It's better than sitting here doing nothing.”

The two looked back up the mountain, which was definitely primarily snow-covered. They couldn't even tell how much snow was really on it from their camp, but wow, there was a lot of snow. There was another pickax laying in the ground on the platform they had landed on, pretty much solidifying TK's earlier assumption. They could see more caves poking out here and there, but none were the one they had been staying in. Of course, they had landed very near the mountain's peak, which seemed to be quite far away now.

“Do you see anything?” Kari asked.

“No,” TK replied, narrowing his eyes against the sunlight. “Wait...” He could see something. It was a figure, unrecognizable, but moving towards them... no, scratch that. _Hurdling_ towards them at high speed across the slanted snow.

TK and Kari, upon seeing this, quickly moved out of the way, dragging a protesting Arashimon with them. All three of them gaped as the figure slid past them, did a rather impressive back flip, and landed not two meters away.

The figure, its back to the digidestineds, was short, stout, and covered in icy white fur, clad in dark green boots, headband and belt. There was a bulky blaster attached to its back, and it was wearing red skis, imperatively its method of transport. The Digidestineds blinked, waiting for the Digimon to make a move.

“What a couple of blockheads...” The three tensed as they heard the Digimon speak, quietly, and to himself from the sound of it. “As if I don't have enough to worry about, they go and make another mess for me to clean up...” The Digimon leaned down and pulled off his skis, folding them into a conveniently small rectangular plate, which he then attached to his right arm. “So many struggles that could be completely avoided if they'd just listen to me for once... Do they ever learn? No. No they don't.” TK and Kari exchanged glances, both coming to infer who this Digimon was talking about. “I can try and try and try, but they never listen... never learn what it really means to part of the Polar Army Arctic Defense Unit. They think it means to attack anyone who steps foot here. Personally I'd much rather just sit down and have a nice cup of hot cocoa, you know, like I was _trying_ to before they went and picked a fight.” He gave a heavy, disappointed sigh. “Now listen to you, Kumamon, you're rambling.” He shook himself, took in a deep breath, and then let it back out. “I'm gonna turn around now. I'm gonna turn around and see just who those dummies decided to pick on this time. I don't know what's gonna happen after that, but I'm gonna find out.”

And so, Kumamon took a couple of steps, turning himself to face the Digidestineds. His eyes scanned them, and then locked. He turned himself all the way, his maw opening slightly as his gaze burned into the Digimon standing in the center of their group. _“...Arashimon?!”_

* * *

_“Mega Death Fire!”_ Megadramon thundered, releasing a powerful beam down onto BlueMeramon.

“Ice Phantom!” BlueMeramon countered, and the clashing flames canceled each other out.

“Ice Cudel!” Hyogamon slammed his ice club down on the spot where Gatomon had been standing seconds before, missing entirely.

“Lightning Paw!” Gatomon slipped out from under Hyogamon, landing her attack onto his jaw and sending him backwards.

“Why you...!” Hyogamon picked himself back up and prepared another attack. “Ice--!”

“Boom Bubble!” Patamon's air blast hit Hyogamon dead on the back, causing the ogre to stumble. He then glanced back with fire in his eyes, making Patamon wince. “Um! Never mind!”

Patamon squealed and flew out of the way as Hyogamon chucked an ice shard at him. Gatomon then delivered another kick to the head. “Ow! Aim somewhere else!”

“But aiming there is effective!”

As the chaos unfolded outside, Yolei, Cody, and Ken were huddled at the back of the cave, watching what the could see of the battle through the cavern's mouth.

“I hate this!” Yolei growled, her eyes watering. “I hate that we can't do anything to help!”

“I know, Yolei,” said Cody, “I don't like this either. But what choice do we have?” Yolei sniffled, and Cody rested a hand on her shoulder.

Ken lowered his head. “I just Davis and Kari and TK are okay...” he muttered.

“Let's just lay low until Megadramon and Gatomon can chase those Digimon off,” Cody recommended, “and then we'll look for them. Until then, let's all just...” He glanced again at Yolei, who was breathing heavily. “...try to stay calm.”

 _“Mega Death Fire!”_ They froze all at once as the cave entrance became momentarily covered by bright burning flames, blocking the view of the battle. When it faded, the fight was progressing exactly the same as it had been before, and the three exhaled. Yolei was shaking.

Ken whimpered, “I hope this is over soon...”

* * *

Arashimon stepped forward, holding an arm in front of Kari and TK. “How do you know my name?!” he challenged.

Kumamon gawked for another moment, before closing his mouth and scowling. “Humans in the Digital World...” he muttered, doing absolutely nothing to answer Arashimon's question. “It's been a long time since I've seen anything like it...”

Arashimon raised an eyebrow. “I... what?” He shook himself. “Wait! Answer the question, you!”

Kumamon looked up, meeting Arashimon's gaze steadily. “So the old man wasn't crazy after all.” He looked down at his feet, apparently weighing his options, then sighed, and stared back up at the children. “Welp. Orders are orders.” Arashimon's brow furrowed as Kumamon reached back, and pulled the blaster off of his back. “And mine come from the very top.”

Arashimon clenched his teeth. “I'll take that as a challenge.” Before Kumamon could make another move, Arashimon whipped out his own cannon and pressed down on the trigger. “Dramon Cannon!” He fired a blue energy blast at his opponent, and Kumamon hopped out of the way, the attack hurdling out who knows where.

When Kumamon was back on solid ground, he held up his blaster and took aim. “Blizzard Blaster!” he exclaimed, and the gun unleashed a fury of snowballs onto its target.

“Hey!” Arashimon held up his blaster in front of his face, blocking the attack, but not very effectively. “Stay back!” he told TK and Kari, who were just behind him. He then pushed ahead, charging forward and making Kumamon's eyes widen. “Dramon _Punch!”_ He threw a punch into Kumamon's chest with his left hand, still carrying the cannon with his right.

Kumamon stumbled, but was quick to take back his ground. “Crystal Freeze!” In a breath, he released a wave of freezing air from his mouth, and Arashimon side-stepped in order to dodge. His arm was scraped, however, leaving a thin layer of frost on his armor.

“Oh no, Davis!” Kari exclaimed to TK, the latter gripping the forearm of the former. “We have to help him!”

“Yeah, tell me that again when you have a plan.” TK pulled Kari closer to him, an attempt to keep her as far from fire as possible.

To his surprise, Kari tore her arm away from him. “TK, please! We have to do _something!”_ TK clenched his teeth, looking at her stern expression, unsure of what he was doing wrong.

“Kari, there's nothing we _can_ do,” he said. “We can't even be sure how powerful this Digimon is. I don't want one of us to get hurt just because we acted too quickly.”

As Arashimon made to land another blow, Kumamon leaped up and landed on Arashimon's shoulders, knocking him over. Hurriedly, Arashimon stood back up before Kumamon could make another move, thrusting an arm in his direction to fire his “Storm Blaster!” The bolt of electricity was made moot by a quick movement on Kumamon's part, holding up the red plate on his arm to deflect the attack. He then came forward and straight up punched Arashimon in the chest, knocking the breath out of him.

Arashimon attempted to return the favor, only for his fist to be caught in Kumamon's palm. Arashimon was then hurled into the face of the rock. He dropped down to the ground, a shaken pile of snow falling on top of him.

For a moment, TK and Kari caught Kumamon shifting his gaze towards them. This moment didn't last very long, as Arashimon sprung out of the snow and tackled him. They tussled on the ground for a moment, before Kumamon pinned Arashimon below him. “Your battle tactics are incompetent,” he growled. Arashimon snarled, trying to kick snow monster off of him, and failing.

Kari swung around to TK again. “Davis isn't going to win this on his own, TK.”

In spite of the temperature, TK was sweating. “Kari, l... I know you're right, but...”

“If you don't do something,” said Kari, her tone sharp enough to cut glass, “then I will.”

TK swallowed. “Okay, okay!” he exclaimed. “I'll do something!” He observed his surroundings, trying to formulate some sort of plan. Then something caught his eye, lodged into the face of the rock.

“This is a waste of time.” Kumamon kicked Arashimon's cannon out of his reach, and pointed his own weapon down at the now panicking Digimon under his foot. “Stop struggling. I don't like this any more than you do.” Arashimon didn't stop. He tried to fire his Storm Blaster, but Kumamon was keeping his arm pinned. He tried to wriggle out from under him, but was being held too tight into the snow. Ideas were failing him. Kumamon frowned, looking down on the pathetic excuse for a warrior. His gun lowered slightly. “Hey... you're not gonna make me feel bad about this, are you? Come on, cut it out...” Arashimon's eyes were beginning to water, to Kumamon's displeasure. He shook his head, holding the blaster back up. “I said, stop i--”

And then TK stormed over and knocked Kumamon upside the head with the blunt end of a pickax.

Arashimon gasped as Kumamon toppled into the snow, the blaster falling from his grasp. He glanced up to find a hand extended before him, which he gladly took. TK helped Arashimon to his feet, holding the pickax in his left hand. “Thanks,” said Arashimon.

“No problem,” TK replied.

They watched Kumamon push himself back up to his feet, wiping snow off of himself. “Not bad, kid,” he complimented, picking his blaster up off of the ground and returning it to his back, “but it's gonna take a lot more than that if you want to finish this.”

“Why don't you just leave us alone?” Arashimon questioned bitterly.

Kumamon lowered his head. “I'm afraid that as long as it's in my power to continue this battle,” he answered, “then that's not a possibility.”

TK raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

Kumamon's face hardened. “That information isn't for me to share with the likes of you.”

TK shrugged. “Fair enough.” He looked to Arashimon, who looked back at him curiously. “We'll just have to make sure you don't have that power, then.”

Arashimon smiled and nodded in understanding. But soon after, a different expression crossed his face, as his eyes shifted downwards towards TK's hand. Confused, TK followed his gaze to the pickax he was holding. He held it up in both hands, feeling a sudden presence overcoming him, and he saw what Arashimon saw; a green glow emitting from the object. Arashimon might have said something, but TK didn't hear him. Before he knew what was happening, everything disappeared.

* * *

_“I've been waiting a long time for you, Takeru Takaishi.”_

The next thing he knew, TK was standing nowhere. Literally nowhere, mind you. There was nothing for him to be standing on. Everything around him was disconcertingly dark, and it seemed to him that he was the only one there.

“Wha...?” he questioned to himself, words suddenly failing him.

 _“I can see your confusion.”_ TK stared down at the pickax he still carried, the green glow emanating just as bright as before. _“Allow me to shed some light on the situation.”_

TK leaned backwards as the green aura began glowing even brighter. It lifted away from the pick and gathered before him, beginning to take shape. Once it was formed, it revealed the vague blur of an animal-like man with a thin set of horns sprouting from his forehead.

 _“My name is_ _**Samuraimon,** _ _and I have come seeking an ally.”_

TK's suspension of disbelief had long ago skyrocketed to the point that nothing surprised him anymore. This was hardly enough to even make him blink. “Samuraimon, huh?” he repeated. “Are you... a friend of Arashimon?”

Samuraimon hesitated, before replying, _“I suppose you could say that. We were, at a time, well adjusted allies. Just as you, and your friend whom Arashimon chose to gift his power to.”_

TK nodded slowly. “So, then... you say you want an ally? You want me to help you with something?”

 _“That is correct.”_ The figure dipped its head. _“I wish only for you to hear what I have to say, and if you will, accept what I offer you at the end.”_

“Okay. Shoot.”

The shape of Samuraimon bowed in recognition, before returning to the tall stance he'd taken previously. _“What your friend has told you is true,”_ he explained. _“An old enemy is making a return, and it has been placed in the hands of your team to defeat it.”_

TK nodded. “What else?”

 _“This is an enemy that has been defeated before,”_ Samuraimon continued. _“However, I can see now that the old solution to his demise is unreliable.”_ TK blinked. _“Should your group choose to accept the task you have been chosen for, I fear that the guidance that my own team will be capable of offering you will be limited. You will face the enemy with only each other to rely on.”_

“I understand,” TK responded.

_“I'm glad to hear that. But you are not the only one being given this mission. Can you rely on your friends to understand this as you do?”_

TK clenched his teeth. “Well, it's true that Davis and the others aren't as well adjusted to the Digital World as Kari and I are...” He paused to adjust his hat. “But, they've gotten this far, so I don't think there's any reason to believe that they can't get through this too.” Before Samuraimon could respond, he added, “And if it ever seems like they're struggling to understand, then I'll point them in the right direction.”

He must have impressed Samuraimon with that response, because the spirit took a moment or two to decide on a response of his own. _“I must say, Takaishi, I'm impressed with how well you're handling this.”_ Proudly, he added, _“Of course, there is a reason I've chosen you to succeed me.”_

“Is that what you were talking about?” TK inquired. “When you said you had an offer you want me to accept?”

_“That is correct. Like your friend inherited the strength of Arashimon, I wish for you to inherit my power.”_

“And that can only happen if I agree to it?”

_“Yes.”_

TK nodded quickly. “I will take your power, Samuraimon,” he declared, “if that's what I need to do to save the Digital World.”

 _“Excellent! I knew I made the right decision with you. Now, Takaishi... lend me your Digivice.”_ TK did as he was instructed, pulling the D-3 out of his pocket and holding it before the spirit. Then he watched it changed, now for the second time, into a form, of the D-Tector. Once it was finished, he examined his new device. Where Davis's was blue, TK's was black. Where Davis's was white, TK's was green. All of the buttons were in all of the same places, as was the faithful trigger on the side, and the button in the center was a pale red.

_“Are you ready, Takaishi?”_

TK nodded. “Absolutely.”

 _“Good.”_ The shape of Samuraimon melted away, and floated up to spin a ring around TK's left hand, from which the pickax dropped out of. _“The keyword is 'execute'!”_

TK recalled the actions that Davis had taken to became Arashimon, and mimicked the movements to the best of his ability. “Execute!” He slashed the ring against the D-Tector, and then pulled his arm up. The exerting power grew and overtook the darkness he had been standing in, as he repeated the term Davis had used to describe the process: “Spirit Evolution!”

* * *

Kumamon shielded his eyes as the platform became momentarily shrouded in light, a sign that he recognized all too well. Arashimon stepped back a few paces to stand beside Kari. When the light faded, it all three looked forward with anticipation. Arashimon's jaw dropped, and Kari muttered, “Wow, I'm glad I said something.”

Here now stood a slender figure with a deceptively peculiar apparel. Rather than the hard metal armor that Arashimon boasted, this Digimon instead wore what appeared to be a suit made from the skin of a leopard. This covered his entire body with the exception of his arms, which were instead protected by black covering that stuck out from under the costume. The leopard's jaw hung open to show his real mouth underneath, complete with a set of dangerous carnivorous teeth. There was also a set of holes that allowed his eyes to been seen, currently closed, over each of which was a curved black horn that made him look like he was constantly scowling. On his left shoulder was a brown leather pad with a black plate on it, from which emerged a leather gauntlet that covered his entire arm. Underneath the shoulder pad emerged a strap, which traveled down to his waist and connected to his belt. This belt was held up by a black buckle, ovular with an upside-down crescent above it. The belt served not only to support both a pair of baggy beige pants and a green sheet that draped between his legs, baring the Crest of Hope, but also to carry a D-Terminal in a pouch, and a weapon on either side. His ankles and right arm were covered in decorative green wrappings, and similar wrapping served to tie his long, bushy red hair near his lower back.

Kumamon recoiled, his eyes wide and pupils small. “I-I already knew it was true, but...” He swallowed, hard. “...even seeing it with my own eyes, I... I still can't believe it!”

And then he immediately froze in place as the Digimon's eyes opened, revealing them to be green, slit, and unhappy. The D-Tector in his hand was then tucked into the pouch on his belt, and his hands instead took up the two matching weapons he carried: sickles, hilts wooden, blades silver, and wrapped in green.

“I am Samuraimon,” the Digimon proclaimed, “the Spirit of Mountains.” Kumamon stood his ground as Samuraimon stared daggers into him. “You say that as long as it's in your power to continue this battle, then you will. Is this correct?” Kumamon clenched his teeth, then nodded. Samuraimon bowed his head. “Then... I'll just have to change your mind.”

Kumamon scowled. “Bring it on.”

“Fire Bomb!” Samuraimon swung one of the sickles, firing off a ball of flame in Kumamon's direction. Kumamon jumped backwards as the ball hit where his feet had been. He pulled out his blaster again and used it to block Samuraimon's second attack, then rushed forward.

“Blizzard Blaster!” The gun unleashed another fury of snowballs.

Samuraimon swiftly dashed out of the way, doing a somersault in the snow. When he hopped back up, he shouted, “Raging Hook!” and tossed one of the sickles.

Kumamon deflected it with the red plate on his arm. “Ha!” he teased. “You're gonna have to try harder than--” And then the second sickle flew up and knocked him upside the head. Both weapons arced back around and were caught by Samuraimon, who was sporting a smirk.

“Nice shot!” He turned to see Kari and Arashimon approaching him; it was Kari who spoke. “That's a different look for you.”

Samuraimon smiled weakly, tilting his head slightly. “That's all you have to say about this?” he questioned.

“I think we've both seen crazier things.”

“That's true.”

“Enough talk!” Arashimon exclaimed, picking up his cannon. “Let's kick some snowy butt!”

Samuraimon nodded, then turned to Kumamon, who was rubbing the spot his sickle had hit him. Kumamon then fixed his own attention on the Digidestineds before him, an indescribable look in his eyes. He wasn't angry, or really upset at all. The overall vibe Samuraimon was picking up from him was... indifference.

“Dramon Cannon!” Their eye contact was unlocked as Arashimon fired a loud blast at Kumamon.

Rather than avoiding the attack, however, Kumamon chose to deploy a new strategy. “Frozen Tundra!” His body slumped over and shifted, taking the form of a large, spiky chunk of ice with a face. Arashimon's attack hit straight on, and barely left a scratch.

Arashimon grimaced. “Well that's a new trick...”

“Raging Hook!” Samuraimon chucked one of his sickles at Kumamon. It bounced off and returned to him, barely taking a chip out.

Kumamon sighed. “You know, you guys are really starting to... huh?”

Samuraimon was charging at him. “Arrrrrgh, **Raging Cutter!!** ”

“Wah!” Samuraimon, highlighted with flames, crashed into Kumamon with a slash of his blades, reverting his opponent to his original form. Kumamon tumbled backwards, and Samuraimon skidded on all fours. When Kumamon regained his footing, he shouted, “Oh come on, can't a guy get a one-liner around here?!”

“Dramon Cannon!”

“Apparently not.”

Kumamon dashed forward, avoiding Arashimon's shot and landing a punch on Samuraimon, who had been preoccupied with shaking the melted snow off of himself. Samuraimon, upon recovering from the blow, drew back and attempted to land a punch of his own on Kumamon, only for it to be again blocked by the red plate. Thinking fast, he instead opted to kick the smaller Digimon in the stomach, and succeeded. Kumamon coughed, sputtering water from his mouth, which he promptly wiped away. “Alright, no more screwing around.” He reached back to retrieve his blaster. “It's time to... to...”

He flexed his hand. The blaster wasn't there.

“What?!” Turning around, he found his culprit. There stood Kari, holding the heavy gun in her arms and looking like a deer in the headlights. Kumamon scowled. “And... I forgot there was three of you.” He took a deep breath, and then glared up at the human in front of him. “Give. That. Back.”

Nervously, Kari glanced to her right, and then back at him. “Um... sorry, no.” Kumamon gave a shocked shout as she tossed the blaster away, only for it to be caught by Arashimon, whose own gun was now again strapped to his back.

“I said, give it back!” Kumamon charged towards Arashimon, who yelped in response, as he didn't have any attack options with his arms full.

Samuraimon stepped in front of Arashimon, holding his sickles up threateningly and preventing Kumamon's advance. “You can have it back when you learn to play nice.”

Kumamon snorted indignantly. “Crystal Freeze!” Samuraimon recoiled as the attack hit him straight on, and in a moment, he was frozen solid. Kumamon gave a sigh of relief. This relief was short lived, however, as Samuraimon, being of fire, burst out from the ice and took a swing at him. Kumamon shrieked in surprise, stepping backwards to avoid the attack. The initial shock having passed, he placed a blow to Samuraimon's chest with his elbow, and then another with his foot while Samuraimon was still recovering. Arashimon stepped to the side as Samuraimon was thrown back into the mountain face, snow showering upon him. Samuraimon wiped his mouth, teeth clenched, before standing back up to continue fighting.

He swung down at Kumamon, and was blocked again by the red plate. Fully expecting this, Samuraimon used this a leverage to flip over Kumamon's head. Now behind his opponent, he swung again, only to again be blocked. Kumamon roundhouse kicked Samuraimon in the stomach, then gave him a swift uppercut to the jaw. Samuraimon retaliated with kick to Kumamon's side, which caused him to stumble. When Samuraimon tried to slash him again, Kumamon grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back. Or he would have, if Samuraimon hadn't rolled backward and landed back on his feet. When he ran forward for his next attack, he was surprised by Kumamon jumping onto his back and kicking off... towards Arashimon.

Startled, Arashimon screamed, “Storm Blaster!” firing the weaker of his two ranged attacks at Kumamon. It didn't do anything, and Kumamon continued falling towards Arashimon, the electric beam barely fazing him. When the two Digimon made contact, Kumamon gripped his blaster, forcibly ripped it from Arashimon's grasp, and jumped away, causing Arashimon to fall onto his back.

Landing gracefully, Kumamon sighed, patting his blaster affectionately. He then returned it to its rightful place on his back. When this action had been completed, he turned back around. With a mild expression, he looked over the three Digidestineds. Samuraimon was staring right through him, sickles still tight in his grasp. Arashimon had stood himself back up and was now pointing his cannon in Kumamon's direction. Kari wasn't very far behind them, a hand clutched to her chest, not wishing, but still prepared to fight.

Kumamon lowered his head. The Digidestineds watched in confusion as he pulled the red plate off of his arm and once again unfolded in into the skis. Rather than attach them to his feet, however, he attached them to his forearms. Curiously, the Digidestineds then watched him dig one ski into the mountain face, then the other, and then proceed to utilize them as a method of scaling back up the mountain. As he became but a speck in the distance, the kids weren't sure whether to be impressed, or continue being very, very confused.

Arashimon lowered his cannon. “So... does that mean we won?”

Samuraimon shrugged. “I don't know,” he replied, “but I get the feeling we haven't seen the last of that guy.”

“Do you think _you_ can do that?” Kari inquired, indicating the sickles in Samuraimon's hands, which from her perspective would make an even better grapple than Kumamon's skis. Glancing down at his weapons, Samuraimon again shrugged.

* * *

**“Hey!!”**

Megadramon, Gatomon, Patamon, Hyogamon and BlueMeramon looked up from their somewhat intense and really unproductive battle to see Kumamon climbing over the edge of the shattered cliff that Arashimon, TK and Kari had fallen from.

“It's the boss!” Hyogamon exclaimed.

Kumamon marched forward, past Gatomon, who gazed skeptically at him with her ears flattened.

“Base, now,” he commanded flatly to Hyogamon and BlueMeramon.

“What?!” Hyogamon cried.

“But sir, you don't understand!” BlueMeramon exclaimed. “They were--”

 **“Base!”** Kumamon repeated, practically fuming, **“Now!”**

Hyogamon and BlueMeramon exchanged glances, then hung their heads in shame. “Yes, sir...” And so the two left, bounding back up to the mountain peak where they had come from.

Kumamon turned back to the remaining three Digimon and bowed. He said, “I apologize for the inconvenience. Stay as long as you like,” before following his two flunkies.

Patamon and Gatomon gawked for a few seconds. “Well...” said Patamon eventually, “...that just happened.”

And then Yolei sped out of the cave, shortly followed by Cody and Ken. “They left?!” Yolei asked, and was answered with nodding. “Awesome!”

“Then let's go find the others,” said a smiling Ken.

And so, everybody piled onto Megadramon's back and started downward.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere downward, Samuraimon had decided to try his hand at Kari's suggestion. His sickles dug into the rock, keeping him held up. He was carrying Kari on his back, and Arashimon was dangling embarrassingly from his tail. Needless to say, they hadn't made it very far. At least they were a few meters off of the ground.

“I don't think this is working,” Arashimon complained.

“It might be working if you weren't so heavy!” Samuraimon returned.

“Well, some of us actually value the protection of our flesh!”

“Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere!” Kari huffed.

Suddenly, Samuraimon perked. “Hey, do you two hear what I hear?”

Arashimon and Kari were looking up with wide eyes. “That depends!” Arashimon replied. “Do you hear Megadramon flying down here to rescue us?!”

Sure enough, down came Megadramon, skirting the edge of the snowy rock, and... flying right past them. “Wait!” they heard Yolei's increasingly quiet voice call, “I think that was them!” So Megadramon curved back around and flew up to meet them.

“It is them!” Ken exclaimed. “Motomiya!”

“They're alright!” Cody heaved a sigh of relief.

“Bingo!” Yolei cried. “That's what I like to see!”

And then all three of them took a good long look at what was in front of them, and their expressions changed.

“Hold on...” Yolei muttered. “Is that TK?!”

Samuraimon flashed a grin. “Hi.”

Patamon and Gatomon's heads poked up over Megadramon's. “TK!” Patamon cried, his eyes welling up with happy tears. “You're alive!”

“Looks like he's a whole lot more than alive!” Gatomon gasped.

“Well, get up here!” Yolei exclaimed. “Sounds like we have another story to hear!”

They obliged. Arashimon swung off of Samuraimon's tail and landed onto Megadramon, Ken and Yolei helped pull Kari up, and Samuraimon climbed up himself. Gatomon and Kari embraced each other, and Patamon climbed up onto Samuraimon's head, commenting on how soft and fluffy his hair was. And so, with the group happy and reunited once again, Megadramon began the flight back up to their camp.

* * *

“...and I _swear to Fanglongmon,_ if you _ever_ do this again, I'm booting you out of the Unit!” Kumamon finished criticizing Hyogamon and BlueMeramon. “Now... go! Just go!”

“Yes, sir...” the two chorused in shame, slugging into the depths of the cave they were standing outside of.

Kumamon sighed, rubbing his fingers against his temples. “Honestly, it's so hard to find good help these days...”

“Qual è il problema, Signore Kumamon? Today's Digimon not living up to your standards?”

Kumamon perked, then turned around to see a winged Digimon standing just at the edge of the cliff. “Oh... Miss Kazemon!” he greeted. “What brings you here? I thought you hated the cold.”

“Lo era nella zona,” Kazemon replied, smiling a deceptively kind smile.

Kumamon frowned. “I don't speak Itallian, Miss Kazemon.”

Kazemon shrugged, “I was in the area,” she translated, “and I just thought it would be nice to pay my old friend Kumamon a visit.”

Kumamon's brow furrowed. “Oh, how _kind_ of you,” he said sarcastically, folding his arms. “Why are you _really_ here?”

Kazemon chuckled. “Ragazzo sciocco...” she muttered. “Honestly, Kumamon, you know the answer just as well I do.” Kumamon scowled. “I'm here to finish the job we were given...” Examining her gloves casually, she continued, “...which it seems _you_ didn't have the guts to complete.”

Kumamon shuttered. “I-I was just testing the waters,” he said defensively. “It wasn't a _real_ fight... I was just... trying to see what they could do...” 

“Mm hm.” Kazemon didn't sound convinced. “Non c'è bisogno di preoccuparsi, Signore Kumamon. Don't worry your snowy little head.” She took a couple steps forward and rested a hand Kumamon's head condescendingly, making the smaller Digimon blush. “I'll be taking it from here.”

Kumamon snorted, shooing her hand away. “If you're going to try taking on those kids, you're gonna have a bad time, Miss Kazemon.

“E perché? Why is that?”

Kumamon glowered up at her gravely. “Because,” he answered, “they have the power of the Legendary Defenders on their side.”

To his surprise, Kazemon didn't look at all fazed by this. “I know that, silly Signore Kumamon.” She added under her breath, “Vigliacco sciocco...” before continuing properly, “We were told to expect this during our mission prompting.”

Kumamon's scowl intensified, before lightening up a little bit. “You... really think you can handle this, huh?”

“I don't _think,_ Signore Kumamon, I _know.”_

Kumamon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, no kidding you don't think...” he grumbled. Turning around and entering into the cave, he waved his hand dismissively. “Well, whatever. It's your funeral, not mine. As far as I'm concerned, I've played my part.”

Kazemon watched him go, hands placed on her hips. “Infatti si ha, Signore Kumamon...” She turned out to look over the landscape. She could see beyond the Mountain Kingdom, into the Forest and Sea Kingdoms from here. “I assure you, I will not fail. After all, orders are orders... and mine come from the very top.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TODAY'S DIGIMON: “Samuraimon” - The Samurai Monster  
> A samurai is a member of a warrior class in feudal Japan.
> 
> I would like to put it out there that I don't proofread this story until after it's been posted.  
> That is all. Carry on.


End file.
